By
Akindotun Merino
Anxiety is not something we can ‘will away’ and it will not go away simply by ignoring the problem. You can only distract yourself for so long and you certainly can’t avoid the situation in question forever. While we cannot face our anxieties head on during the first round, we can stop ourselves from turning away from them and accepting them as something we need to deal with today.
Mistakes are a part of everything we do, and can certainly happen anywhere and anytime. But making a mistake is one of the main points that drive people to have some form of anxiety. People with anxiety feel that if they make a mistake, then they will be judged or embarrassed; they feel it won’t make the right impression. But even with these anxieties, we must realize that it is okay to make mistakes and severe consequences will not always come from them. Sometimes we have to physically say to ourselves “The office will not crumble if I forget today’s status report” or “The world will not end because I spilled coffee on the copier”. Reassurance, no matter how humorous it may sound, is one of the best ways to tell ourselves to stay calm after a mistake, face the problem, and move on.
Mistakes can have a positive and beneficial impact, as they are learning experiences. Make sure when a mistake occurs that we take something positive from the experience. No one is perfect, therefore, everyone makes mistakes occasionally, including you!
One of the most important steps in managing our anxiety is taking a deep breath and accepting the situations that come before us. Once we accept them, we simply move on with our lives and do not dwell on them. When you’re faced with being a team lead for a group project, your anxiety may be through the roof, but if you take a deep breath and accept the situation for what it is, you can begin to manage the anxiety feelings. You then realize it is something you have to do, and that the feelings you are experiencing may be uncomfortable, but certainly won’t harm you or even last forever. Once you’ve accepted the situation and took control of the feelings that come with it, you can move forward and focus on doing a great job.
Tips:
- Always take a few minutes to let the information sink in
- Look at the whole situation and what your role is in it
- Look at the anxiety feeling you’re having and try to resolve it
- Realize what you have, and move with that
Avoidance Can Cause a Cycle of Anxiety
When we start feeling anxious about a problem or situation, our first instinct may be to completely avoid it at all costs. But this action only hinders our progress to managing our anxiety symptoms since it can actually make the symptoms worse. When we avoid a problem or situation that makes us nervous, we are training our mind to believe that there is some sort of danger or consequence associated with it, so that any time you are faced with it again in the future, you create the same response. If we train our mind to fear these situations or problems that give us anxiety, then we are only creating more anxiety within ourselves and it becomes part of a cycle of anxiety. The only way to end the cycle is to face the situation and symptoms and work through the feelings that come with it.
READ ALSO: Managing Workplace Anxiety: Coping Strategies (3)
Remember:
- Anxiety feeds on avoidance – this makes our symptoms worse
- Avoiding symptoms doesn’t make them go away or disappear
- The problem will not just go away – we can’t avoid them forever
When trying to manage anxieties symptoms and feelings, it is important to take time and identify the triggers that cause you to feel this way. A trigger is a physical or emotional event or situation that causes you start feelings anxious or nervous. Sometimes they are obvious (such as seeing a pile of bills on the table makes you anxious about money), others may not seem as obvious and the basis of them can’t be identified yet (such as tensing up when you get into a crowded elevator). The simplest way to identify a trigger is to write down events that you normally feels anxious or nervous when faced with them and then listing what kind of symptoms they cause, and how intense.
Many worksheets, charts, and exercises are available to help identify triggers and symptoms. Use the worksheet included with this section to identify some of your triggers and how you can work through them.
Everyone gets nervous when it comes to stressful situations, such as taking a test, finishing a project, or even teaching a class. Normal nervousness may cause mild symptoms such as fidgeting, stomach ‘fluttering’, or shaking hands, but they do not hinder your performance. Anxiety goes beyond simple nervousness because many symptoms of anxiety are described as ‘crippling’ or ‘debilitating’ and typically interfere with our ability to complete certain tasks. Distinguishing between these two stages is a big step in successfully managing anxiety symptoms.
Anxiety has a wide spectrum on which different symptoms and feelings can be placed. For instance, when preparing to speak in from of a group, you may feel your stomach flutter or ‘butterflies’, which is a normal part of nervousness. But if you approach the group and your stomach feels as though a pack of horses is running through it, then we’ve slid over to the anxiety side of the spectrum because symptoms are more intense. This spectrum can also be seen as a ‘range’, in which symptoms can start off mild or moderate and then progress to the other side and become more severe. Anxiety spectrums can be divided into different disorders to help gauge symptoms and judge where a person falls in that range and can better pinpoint any characteristics of anxiety disorders.
READ ALSO: Managing Workplace Anxiety: Recognizing Symptoms (2)
Common anxiety spectrums:
- Obsessive-compulsive spectrum
- Social anxiety spectrum
- General anxiety (GAD) spectrum
- Panic-agoraphobia spectrum
While many fears are justified and usually have some sort or cause or basis, anxiety can happen any time and without a particular cause or root. Unfortunately, we are not always able to see that our anxiety does not have a real basis, yet we still have the same feelings. Common nervousness has a valid reason and some sort of signal that you could feel symptoms soon. Although it is unclear why, anxiety does not give us a warning sign. But you will always have the upper hand if you learn to accept the symptoms as they come and remember to work through them instead of turning away from them.
Tips for managing symptoms:
- When symptoms arise, don’t avoid them
- Determine if you just feel nervous, or if you’re becoming anxious
- Record symptoms in a log or journal to help identify a cause
General nervousness symptoms appear when we are faced with uncomfortable situations, but the symptoms usually do not last very long and, for the most part, subside soon after. However, anxiety symptoms typically appear quickly and last much longer than nervous feelings. Symptoms can last several minutes, days or can even span over a number of weeks. Feelings of anxiety can last for an extended length of time, especially since they can turn into a cycle of anxiety, which can be hard to end. When symptoms continue over a length of time, this causes more anxiety and can make it hard to distinguish when one set of anxiety feelings end and when others begin.
When we are nervous, we can experience symptoms that cause us discomfort, such as shaking hands or quickened breathing. Symptoms such as these are normal and generally do not interfere with what we are doing. Anxiety symptoms can be similar, but they can appear more exaggerated and intense. Shaking hands can turn into whole body tremors, and shallow breathing can turn into choking or gasping for air. Often times, symptoms can seem so severe, that people are thought to be suffering from some sort of physical medical condition, such as a heart attack or gastroenteritis. People who suffer from severe anxiety and exaggerated symptoms will often visit several doctors before being diagnosed with anxiety and begin proper treatment.
Dr. Akindotun Merino is a Professor of Psychology and a Mental Health Commissioner in California. She is the President of Jars Institute. Feel free to share your successes and challenges:
Prof. Akindotun Merino
Jars Education Group
info@akinmerino.com
YouTube.com/akinmerino
Instagram: @drakinmerino: Twitte: @drakindotun
Read more authentic news on our social media platforms
Opinion2 days ago
Metro3 days ago
Latest News4 days ago