Written by: Justin Williams
Your time and your mental health matter most above all monotonies of life. But, sometimes school, family, friends, situationships, lovers, spouses, social media etc., take up the bulk of our time. This, in turn, can leave one with a minimal amount of time for self-care and left with a racing mind. Mental health articles that speak on coping can be overcomplicated and full of argle-bargle- for SEO. This article is dedicated to focusing on the essential aspects of healing anxiety, the practical things you can do on a day to day basis to calm your mind, and worry less.
I had a panic attack in the middle of Walmart.
Photo byMarkus Spiske on Unsplash
During uncertain times as a pandemic is upon us. Stress is almost unavoidable. Last week I scraped together some money from several savings accounts to get self-care products. I took to the car, turned on some Frank ocean, and headed to the comess that is Wal-mart. A physical embodiment of capitalism. Upon my arrival, I was greeted with yellow tape, masked people, and chaotic energy, which illuminated the space with fast movement. Needless to say, the place looked like a scene from the beginning of "I am legend."
My heart began racing, my thoughts followed. I remember thinking: "everyone is looking at me" "staff are going to assume I'm stealing because I'm black and wearing a mask" "I'm moving slower than everyone else." Then I remembered, staff were going to do that anyway. Apart from the fact that I was wearing a mask. Anyway, I was full-on shaking in line, which did not help my case of trying to not look sick.
Alarming people and bringing more attention to myself was the last thing I wanted. A worker miffed at me. Aw shit. Her eyebrows scrunched, her double chin dipped and glared my way. She asked, "are you okay?" "Yeah, I'm fine. I replied ( I felt like Afreet itself was going to burst from between the aisles and remove the little bit of composure my body could muster). If someone were to tap me on my shoulder from behind, I would have probably shit my pants. I was alone, or at least I felt like it.
After a good look and a deep breath, I realized, many people were panicking. What a time to have anxiety. I was made aware of my condition by the familiarity of feelings a panic attack brings. Others, on the other hand, remained in their state of panic. Driving back, I reflected proudly. I came to the conclusion that anxiety is much like an old school computer error screen sent from our brain.
There are two primary ways to handle an error screen. 1. spend valuable time scouring the web for answers. Or 2. Find hacks to maximize time and cut down on error codes for a smooth-running optimized experience. The following are five ways to hack the strongest supercomputer computer known to man- your brain. And heal from anxiety.
Understand your anxiety
Anxiety impacts many people, but maybe especially prevalent & acute for those who are creative, gifted, and highly sensitive. Psychotherapist Diana Pitariu writes, "Anxiety is a common emotion experienced by creative people & while some of the symptoms may be similar from one person to the next, how and when people experience anxiety differs widely." One of the solutions she suggested was to read up on the heart math institute and see if you would like to try one of their devices to improve what they call your "heart rate variability" and reduce your stress. She notes, "There are no easy answers, simple solutions, or quick fixes for managing stress" but follows with "You can learn to understand why your life gets so oppressive, depressive, stressed or otherwise unhealthy. You can learn to live in a new better way. "
There are three primary sources of stress for the creative and gifted.
Situational
- The conflict between values and values of others ( what is and what ought to be )
- Interpersonal disharmony
- Challenges beyond our capability to respond
- Threats to emotional or physical well being
- Lack of resources to accomplish a task
Self Imposed
- Setting exceedingly high standards for ourselves
- Fear of failure
- Fear of success
- Negative self talk
- Emotionally loaded/ highly evaluative beliefs about ourselves & our environment
- Believing that everyone should love, respect, & praise us.
- Catastrophizing
- Worrying
Existential
-Global concerns ( nuclear disaster, war, poverty, world hunger, the environment, etc.)
"You should never view your challenges as a disadvantage. Instead, its important for you to understand that your experience facing and overcoming adversity is actually one of your biggest advantages"
- Michelle Obama
Some practical lifestyle changes that will reduce stress
- Eliminate soda
- Start spending on a budget
- Switch out cable for Netflix or Hulu
- Contact your insurance carrier, phone company, or credit card company, and ask if they will reduce your bill
- Challenge negative core beliefs
Remember that thoughts influence feeling. Negative thoughts lead to negative emotions, which thereafter lead to destructive behaviors. For example:
- Justin wakes up and thinks: "Life is pointless & I'm never going to achieve financial independence, so I'm just not going to try."
- He feels unmotivated, fearful of success & failure, & lethargy.
- He doesn't fulfill his daily obligations that day and watches Netflix while spending the day on his phone.
Challenge negative moods
Photo by Autumn Goodman on Unsplash
Your mood matters and should be respected. Graham C.L. Davey Ph.D., writes, "Mood and worry go hand in hand – well, at least bad mood and worry do! This has often raised the chicken and egg question, "Which comes first, my bad mood or my worrying?" Worrying tends to occur in times of stress, anxiety, depression – even anger, and other negative moods that become associated with worry include guilt and shame.
How to challenge your negative mood
1. Journal everything. Write down your thoughts as they come at least twice a day. Pay close attention to when you feel stressed out and write down what triggered the stress.
2. Write down one-word feelings that describe the thoughts that you previously wrote down.
3. Challenge your current version of reality with reality testing
Playlist that will put you in an uplifting mood
Dive into the Creative Process
Photo by Roman Kraft on Unsplash
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