The Spooky Truth About Your Anxieties

There are literally thousands of articles about anxiety on the world wide web. In our 21st century Western societies, stress and anxiety are part of our lives, albeit playing a larger part for some than for others.

Unless you live in a Blue Zone (and I congratulate you if you do), chances are that you will have experienced some stress or anxiety at some point. Many of the aforementioned articles focus on strategies to remove that anxiety. In a recent post on my Facebook group I asked what strategies people find effective in dealing with it.

Some people find it useful to focus on physical sensations, giving them a sense of control over their body. Controlling your breath, tensing and releasing muscles, inducing laughter…are all techniques that can be used successfully to release tension and dissipate feelings of fear.

Others are using external strategies, such as consuming alcohol, taking medication or listening to relaxing music. Sometimes professional help can give you the extra assistance you need to overcome your fears. The effectiveness of mindset techniques used by Neuro Linguistic Programming is well documented. They help us raise awareness about the stories and the films we play in our heads, which contribute to anxiety and stress.

The truth is that developing mental toughness and mental resilience is the quickest shortcut to dealing with anxiety. The nature of the solopreneurial existence is such that stress and overwhelm will be here to stay and we need to find ways of protecting us against them.

The most effective way to tackle anxious thoughts, is by staying present in the here and now. Dwelling on the past creates worry, and by being preoccupied with past events we are missing out on present opportunities. Likewise, focusing on trying to predict and anticipate the future creates anxiety of the unknown. Our energy is consumed unnecessarily, instead of using it to focus on the present.

There are various techniques you can learn to help you focus on the present whenever you feel overwhelm welling up. Practicing mindfulness, meditation and journaling are all tried and tested methods that have helped thousands of people across the world. If you don’t know how and where to start to improve your anxiety levels, some professional assistance might help you to find what works best for you.