“Anxiety is the dizziness of freedom.” – Soren Kierkegaard They say anxiety is a future-focused problem. Depression is past-focused. Some of us are lucky enough to have both at the same time, meaning the present pretty much rolls […]
For some reason, I used to think paradoxes were hard to understand, and that they were somehow confusing and complex. Hearing the word would make my brain freeze up.
I used to confuse a paradox with an oxymoron, until I learned one day that “jumbo shrimp” was an oxymoron. That one stuck.
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There has always been an undercurrent of anxiety running through my life. Even though I am a pretty laid back guy, I find it hard to sit still or just be. Over time, I’ve become used to my anxiety. Like a refrigerator that runs quietly in the background, sometimes it’s not until it starts making noises that you notice it.
Surfing was one such noise that reminded me of my anxiety. Here’s how it reared its ugly head and and how I kept it at bay…
I think I left the house just a dozen times during my 5 consecutive years as an anxious recluse. This withdrawal from the world occurred during my twenties soon after I had finished college when I found myself at the mercy of multiple anxiety disorders.
Anxiety had been something I’d suffered from since childhood but the loss of the stable framework that education had provided left me suddenly adrift and directionless. Intense fear filled my mind every hour of every day, and soon I was plummeting into a downward spiral of acute anxiety and depression.
My parent’s home offered a retreat from reality which seemed like a blessing at first but which later turned into a self-imposed prison of isolation and excuses, which was very hard to escape.
Reducing Anxiety: 5 Personal Philosophies That Changed My Life Read More »
Do you often find yourself worrying a lot? If so, you are not alone. I used to be a big time worrier.
I would worry constantly about things that would usually never happen. Time and time again it has happened to me. For example, here are some of the things I would worry about: How a visit would go before my company arrived; If I would get into a car accident before entering into rush hour traffic; If I would run into someone that I wasn’t on good terms with. I would also worry about “bigger” things like:
How to Stop Worrying Now Read More »
We all know of certain situations in life that make us nervous. No matter how we prepare for them we always find ourselves becoming anxious and stressed out. These situations could be anything from going to the doctor’s office to having a meeting with your boss at work. In this article I want to discuss something known as a ‘comfort challenge’ and how this amazing strategy can help you overcome your worst fears and insecurities.
Here’s a fact that I’ve come to realize in my own life: If you want to become comfortable in situations that usually make you nervous, then you need to deal with some serious discomfort for a while.
In other words, putting yourself directly into situations that make you extremely uncomfortable is the only way to truly get over them and make any progress towards overcoming your nervousness, worry and stress. In today’s society where everyone wants the quickest and easiest fix possible, this idea doesn’t usually flourish. Avoidance of the problem(s) usually requires the least effort, so it makes it seem like the top choice. The problem with this way of doing things is that it sets a very bad precedent for the rest of your life and the other uncomfortable situations that will come in the future (and yes, they will come).
Overcoming Fear and Nervousness Read More »
The more that I learn about life, the more that it becomes clear that I know only a little. Even though I am relatively young in my late twenties, it seems that almost each and every day there becomes apparent in my life a new stumbling block, whether it is an anxiety stumbling block or something else. As a human, it is ingrained in my nature to find countless ways, both conscious and subconscious, to engage in self-defeating behavior. But fortunately, as a human I have also been blessed with the ability to find solutions to some of the stumbling blocks presented in my path. In regard to anxiety, at least a few have become apparent, some of which others may already have discovered.
1. Self blame
The first stumbling block that exists in every anxiety sufferer’s life is the tendency to blame him or her self for having the condition, as well as for all the shortcomings that result from the condition. The truth is that anxiety is always a natural reaction to some sort of difficulty that is too great for a person to handle early on in life. In particular, social anxiety sufferers tend to have developed their condition because of very critical parents, or children at school who constantly harass them. If one thinks about it logically, what is a child who does not have the experience to deal with that kind of stress going to do? Is he going to be exceedingly confident and slay his enemies one by one? Probably not – a more natural reaction is fear and cautiousness around people.
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Anxiety is a condition, just like any other, that can wreak havoc on your life and leave you stressed, lonely, unemployed, and just generally all-around miserable. This is where I found myself when I was struggling with social anxiety disorder (SAD) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). However, again much like any other condition, it is something that can be treated successfully, and you can reach the opposite extreme where you have tons of wonderful friends, fulfilling employment, romantic success, and a general feeling of happiness and well-being.
So, how do you heal anxiety? Unfortunately, for many the solution is to visit the doctor and see which type of medication he prescribes. This is one possible step that you can take, but like any other condition, using a more comprehensive approach enhances the level of success you experience. If clichés make more sense to you, “you get out of it what you put into it.” Besides taking a few steps, there is an additional point to keep in mind: what works for one person may not work for another; it is up to you to build your own plan based on what experience teaches you.
How to Heal Anxiety Read More »
