Anxiety

Worry, dread, fear, stress and so many other descriptive words that really encompass anxiety and the feelings that come with it.  It is felt and lived and breathed by everyone to some degree.  No one is really free of it.  It comes in waves for some and creeps in for others while there are those who experience it always and it interferes with daily life to the extent that it can be overwhelming and tiring and cause nightmares even.  Anxiety can show up in physical form at times and cause ailments that we wouldn't normally attribute to stress, anxiety, worry, dread, fear and any other word you use to describe the anxiety. 

Anxiety comes on due to different experiences and it is often unclear why.  It can be a ruminating thought, an illness of a loved one bringing on the unknown or brought on by treatment from others that is impending with the environment you are in or have to enter into at times.  Whatever brings it on, it is tiring to a degree that is really astounding.  So much research is coming out about anxiety and stress and the management of it.  Our lives, literally, depend on our ability to manage the stress and anxiety we are experiencing. That impending feeling of doom, fear, racing thoughts, restlessness, fatigue, irritability with an increased heart rate is not something that your body is meant to withstand for long periods of time.  Working to lessen those experiences for yourself is a good investment of your time and energy.  You only get one life.

In some instances, our minds will create false evidence and make our fears and stressors appear real.  In other instances, our reality is the stressor.  Maybe you're currently in a state of knowing all the right things to do to lessen that feeling and the feeling isn't getting the memo.  Where is your current relationship with the anxiety you are experiencing? How are you managing it? Is it hidden from you?

There are several ways you can start to attempt to manage your anxiety if you haven't began this process yet.  Work on understanding your anxiety and why it is present.  If it is safe, expose yourself to it to some degree.  Talk about it and write about it.  Keeping it in the dark and hidden can be the very thing that waters it and makes it grow.  Bring it out into the light.  Learn how to breathe correctly and do it multiple times a day - box breaths or cyclic sighing.  Increasing the oxygen to your brain can help uncloud your thinking and makes you feel more clarity.  Do the basics with a good sleep routine, healthy nutrient consumption, lots of water, sunlight, some form of physical movement and a decompressing activity of some kind.  Reward yourself with something you enjoy.  Work to reframe your negative thoughts in the moment and have a conversation with yourself about them.  

If your fears are causing such crippling anxiety that it makes it hard to do daily tasks, reach out for help.  There are incredible people in this world eager to support you in a patient, kind way and meet you where you are.