Anxious Much? The Antidote May Not Be What You Expect

As I stared at the blank word document to write this article, my fingers lying on the keys, unable to do the walking. My brain was not talking. It was not telling them what to write, because it was as blank as the white ‘sheet of paper’ staring back.

At that moment, a dear girlfriend texted me. I told her of my frozen state of mind, and she said, “How about anxiety? Most of us have it right now.”

And that started melting my immobile thoughts, which inspired my fingers to not walk, but to tap dance on the keyboard.

Worried, Anxious or Something Else?

Worry and anxiety are in the air. Like the cherry blossoms that are being blown from their secure branches by the bucketful, there is most definitely a lot of each swirling about.

Anxiety is a word that very easily and perhaps too often incorrectly falls trippingly off the tongue. For example, you may hear someone say that getting their hair cut gives them anxiety. It may, or perhaps they’re merely nervous. MichiganMedicine.org says that feeling nervous and having an anxiety disorder are two very different things.

Excitement can also be confused with anxiety as they can feel the same in the body, so when you’re going on that first date, it may just be excitement!

Anxiety disorders are characterized by excessive worry or fear, which can affect a person’s ability to work, attend school and maintain relationships.

According to Medical News Today, “Anxiety is a common emotion, and it can cause physical symptoms, such as shaking and sweating. When anxiety becomes persistent or excessive, a person may have an anxiety disorder.”

Are We All Trapped in Anxiousness?

So, do most of us have some anxiety right now? (Not to worry, I’m not going down the political garbage disposal.) I think it’s safe to say, at minimum, many are nervous, and quite possibly anxious as well.

What can we do about it?

You can do a Google search, and you will get a lot of good information/suggestions like meditation, deep breathing, muscle relaxation, exercise, sleep, balanced diet and, if needed, professional help; so I don’t need to copy and paste that for you here.

What I want to share with you are some invaluable insights from a doctor who was a guest on my podcast, Loving Later Life. Her name is Dr. Harpriya Singh and the wisdom she shared changed my life. This is not hyperbole. Our conversation truly altered the way I think about and look at things. I was faced with a challenging time recently and talking with her changed the trajectory of how I experienced it.

I’ve selected a handful of the gems to share with you below, but I sincerely hope that you will listen to the entire episode, “Dr. Harpriya Singh: A Masterclass in Living Your Best Life.” I also hope that you will share it with as many people as possible. We send and receive so much bad news these days and if you were to share this instead, you could contribute to positive change in people’s lives and ultimately in our communities and even in our world… one thought at a time!

What You Can Do to Combat Anxiousness

• Don’t place your joy and happiness on anything that is happening outside of you.
• When we react to what’s happening on the outside, that’s living by default. Nothing outside of us is going to make us happy. It’s not meant to. Happiness is an inside job.
• Your perception is what is creating your reality. If you’re perceiving everything negatively and living in fear mode, you get what you put out.
• Stay positive no matter what and know that everything is always working out for you.
• Every situation that comes in your life is there to bring you into more of your power – if you can see that.
• Be careful what you let into your mind. Learn to slow down and love yourself every day because you’re worth it.
• Remember life is happening for you, not to you.

With so much happening all around us, we must rely on ourselves to protect our mental and physical health. We all want to feel like we have more control over our lives, and the good news is, we do. It begins and ends with how we choose to think.

Watch what you listen to and listen to what you tell yourself.

You get to choose how you think and ultimately how you feel. Yes, you do. No matter what is happening around you. You have a choice in what you think, what you say and what you believe.

Please comment below if/how this resonates with you, and if you listen to the episode, I’d love to hear your thoughts here so we can discuss!

Let’s Have a Conversation:

Do you describe your current state of mind as nervous, anxious, stressed, or something else? What do you define your state of mind by? Do you primarily look at events around you or does something else determine your outlook?