Throughout the last 2 years, there has been a dramatic increase in anxiety levels throughout the world. This is caused by numerous factors, the biggest of which is a fear of the unknown. I will briefly discuss this but also look at how this state of anxiety has a detrimental effect on a person’s body and mind. Most importantly I will outline the steps we can take to reduce anxious thoughts and improve our quality of life.
Absence of control fosters a state of fear and anxiety. For people who are accustomed to controlling most aspects of their life, the lack of control creates uncertainty. When there is uncertainty people start panicking – look at the toilet paper panic buying situation. This irrational behaviour is caused by people (particularly those who are anxious and have less control over their finances and life situation) needing something to feel secure about.1 Feeling a sense of fear of the unknown and uncertain about the future creates a scarcity mentality causing everyday “normal” people to behave irrationally. 2 Although buying toilet paper doesn’t stop the sense of anxiety, it gives an anxious person a sense of control over something. It is the lack of control and fear of the unknown that perpetuates the state of anxiety in people.
We all know there are things in our environment that cause anxiety and/or stress. They vary from person to person, but can be anything from a messy office/house/desk to the stressful people around us who are creating chaos through their behaviour whether it’s the way they treat you or just their particular state of behaviour. All these things and more can have a negative effect on how we feel. At these times it is important to remember that although you might not have the ability to change the behaviour of others, you do have the ability to change how you respond and react. You also have the ability to change your environment. So if a messy desk or room causes you to feel disorganised and consequently stressed, then it makes sense to clean the desk or room. If lack of toilet paper in the supermarket is an issue – buy it online (there are plenty of options for this.). Equally, we can remove ourselves from an environment that is creating chaos and causing feelings of anxiety (even if it is only possible to do this temporarily at first), then that makes sense too.
Currently I am running a 7 Days Te Reset and Reduce Anxiety course and a technique participants have started using is to focus on the things they do have control over. For me, knowing how things work in my body, helps me to understand them and become more aware when I’m starting to experience a reaction or trigger. I’m teaching the same thing to my participants. Today our practice revolved around a technique that uses our breath – it sounds simple, but if used regularly can become a powerful means of releasing anxiety and emotion. If you want to learn more about it you can read about it here: Breathing for Emotional Release. I do want to add, that reading the theory is helpful, but it is much easier if you have your eyes closed and are receiviong the instructions by someone else. I teach this and other techniques so that participants can use the tools and methods practiced to create the response they want within their body. With regular practice it helps to break free from some of the learned behaviours they have fallen into over the years.
The lack of certainty at difficult times in our lives can be unsettling but one thing to remember is that to worry about something you can’t control is not helping your body. Focus on what you can control – your own internal environment and the things around you, your life, and your own mental health, will be in much better shape.