+254722457898More than half of our hospital beds are occupied by people with nervous and emotional troubles. To be precise, 70% of the people in hospital beds could recover if they let go the fear and worry in their hearts. Most of them are anxious.
Anxiety can be very disruptive. It will make you not eat or sleep. You will worry unceasingly about the past and the future. Your head will ache as your stomach twists and turn. You will be fearful and keep going in crazy circles. You will develop ulcers, paralysis and heart disturbance. It will make you tense and tired.
Sadly, the worry, fear and emotional sickness hardly solves a thing. It will only give you a nervous breakdown. You will feel frustrated, fearful, desperate, futile and defeated. For your information, intense fear and worry can contribute to insanity. It’s not worth it. The overthinking, worry and fear will not get you anywhere. You will remain distracted and unable to focus on anything constructive. Below are some practical tips you can apply to calm your anxiety.
Focus on the present
Our main business is not to see the future but to focus on what lies before us today. Shut out the past which is now dead and close your eyes to the unborn tomorrow. The burdens of yesterday when added to the load of tomorrow can break even the strongest of us. The only future you need to worry of is today. The day of changing your future is today. Focus your intelligence and enthusiasm on today’s work.
Notably, that one step of today is enough. Anything no matter how hard can be done for a day. The philosopher Heraclitus noted that life is full of ceaseless change. The only certainty is today. Don’t waste your energy trying to solve tomorrows problems which you are not sure of. Dale Carnegie also notes that, yesterday is but a dream. Tomorrow is only a vision. But today well lived makes yesterday a dream of happiness and every tomorrow a vision of hope.
Be Optimistic and believe that things will be okay
Avoid the ‘reality is’ mentality. Because something terrible happened yesterday does not mean it will happen today. Avoid negativity and believe that you are worthy and deserve the very best. Too much worrying can only yield fear, tension and nervous breakdown. If you must think about something, focus on its cause and effect and plan constructively on how to deal with it.
Change the activity you are doing
If fear and worry get the best of you while doing something, you can embark on a different activity that is enjoyable and involving. For instance, you can cook, clean, call a friend or read. At all costs, avoid being idle as it gives your brain ample time to imagine all kinds of things which may make the anxiety worse. As you get busy, you can listen to soothing music which evokes good memories. Music is a powerful dopaminergic, it can alter your thoughts and how you feel.
Be open-minded and accept what has happened
Approach the future with an open mind. Be flexible. Also, believe that nothing comes your way is impossible. When what you did not anticipate happens, accept the outcome. No amount of worrying or tension can change the situation. As William James noted, be willing to have things as they are or bound to be. When you accept the worst that may happen, you have nothing to lose and therefore, nothing to worry about.
Once acceptance sets in, analyse the situation objectively and honestly. Try to figure out what is the worst that could possibly happen as a result of this failure. Accept it and always remember, things could have been worse than that. Then channel your time and energy to improve the worst which could help. Find out ways in which you can reduce the damage.
Lastly, deep breathing, exercise, yoga and meditation do help. If you follow the techniques, you’ll develop a calmness of mind that will give you new energy. If you are overwhelmed, see a counsellor/psychologist.