Feeling Anxious - Like this monkey?
"Note to Self: Everything is going to be OK"
Yes. We need to tell ourselves that everything is going to be OK. However, often, panic attack sets in for people prone to anxiety, even before they are able to rationally tell themselves that everything is going to be OK.
Like the proverbial Cat on a hot tin roof, the people with anxiety start getting their mind overloaded and start spinning their wheels. They hop from one foot to another, since everything feels hot like the tin roof and adds to their anxiety.
Since I have been familiar with bouts of anxiety about various things, when I saw this monkey on a hot tin roof in Pilanesberg last summer, I immediately too this picture with my Nikon P900 and thought about anxiety...
Had you seen this kind of worried and startled expression on a monkey's face before? I bet this is what we look like when we get a panic attack!
In the past, I have experienced anxiety over things of great importance, like the Global warming frying the earth one day to something as insignificant as the boil on my A$$! I have learned, through a lot of experiments, to trust the following 3 things for immediate relief from escalating anxiety. Thank God - these were my own experiments and did not cost me a ton for listening to a lot of psycho-babble. Otherwise, the counsellor's fees would have caused another anxiety attack!!
So - here is what we can do when we feel anxiety building in an ever upward spiral.
Stay in the 'Present'
Often, anxiety builds uncontrollably because we think of upcoming things and try to find solutions all at once. All future issues, which may not even be real issues at this point in time, weigh us down.
We should pull ourselves back to present and take things one at a time. Remember - many times, as the future unfolds, some of the issues become non-issues automatically. No point in trying to solve them today!
I know that people tell us 'One stitch in time saves nine' etc. True. However, think of it this way - if my shirt does not even have a hole in it yet, why should I start stitching right now? Who knows - perhaps tomorrow I may not even be wearing a shirt if I decide to shift to a nudist beach!
Breathe in and breathe out
I often wonder why people do not adopt this simple, time tested and well known remedy. Perhaps it is seen to be too trivial a remedy. I can tell you that, there is nothing more powerful in stopping an anxiety attack.
We do not need to worry about specific breathing techniques. We do not have to count a specific number of breaths. Just taking deep breaths and exhaling slowly immediately calms us down and refocuses our mind.
Follow 3-3-3 rule
Often, when we start getting anxious, our mind races at an uncontrolled speed. We lose touch with reality and common sense. Under the circumstances, it is best to 'ground' our mind. One of the simplest and effective techniques is the 3-3-3 rule.
We need to look around and name 3 things we see, 3 sounds we hear and move 3 parts of our body like the arm, ankle and finger etc.
This simple activity disengages the mind from the anxiety causing thoughts and helps us get back to reality.
I can personally vouch for the fact that these 3 methods work. I recommend that, as you read my posts, try these 3 things to save yourself from the anxiety of facing my numerous future posts which may bore you to death!!
In Conclusion:
Anxiety can be stopped, here is proof - don't be a monkey on a hot tin roof!
Steemians, please comment freely to share your experiences, knowledge and views about anxiety control measures. Thanks.
Note: All images except for the wildlife photos and the title image created by me are from pixabay.com. Image credit has been specifically mentioned for images not falling under these two categories.
Gif crafted by the Legendary @stellabelle for me based on my Lion Avatar