Anxiety Isn’t the Problem — What You Think About it Is
Anxiety isn't the Problem -- What You Think About it IS
Imagine. You’re in front of a large group of people. Beads of sweat begin to form at your brow and on your palms. Your heart is beating faster and faster as your breathing becomes more rapid and shallow. You feel a pit in your stomach and like you’re a tightly wound coil ready to spring.
What would you call the sensation you’re feeling?
Anxiety? Or… is it excitement?
Your answer and what you envisioned most likely depends largely on your typical thinking patterns.
What was I describing?
The excitement I used to feel just before hearing the starting gun to run my race and often still feel when watching track races.
In honor of so many of my high achiever clients with people-pleaser and perfectionistic tendencies, who also struggle with either diagnosed or high-functioning anxiety, and in honor of May being Mental Health Awareness Month, let’s talk about anxiety.
Anxiety is the most common mental health challenge in American. Statistically, it affects 1 in 8 children, 1 in 4 teens, and 1 in 5 adults. It predominately affects women, and kids of parents who don’t get help are 6-7 times more likely to also experience anxiety. And, it’s on the rise. In 2020 alone, it grew by 3 times and shows no sign of decreasing. It’s highly treatable, but most people suffering don’t seek assistance. So, hopefully this article can provide some help.
What comes to mind when you hear the word anxiety? Is it something like what was described above? Or perhaps the times you have trouble sleeping, unable to turn off the “what ifs” or “should haves”?
Did you know that anxiety can either limit your potential or enhance it?
Research shows that anxiety can actually help you perform better—if you know how to think about it.
According to the American Psychological Association (APA), anxiety is just “an emotion characterized by feelings of tension, worried thoughts, and physical changes like increased blood pressure.”
Anxiety is a set of psychological and physiological symptoms, which may vary from person to person, broadly focusing on diffusing what is perceived as a threat.
Like all emotions, anxiety is a normal part of life and has a purpose. It helps alert you to be watchful and take actions to escape perceived danger to keep you safe.
The problems occur when it gets overused or overplayed by seeing situations not just as challenging, but as life-or-death.
By doing that, studies show that you actually impair concentration, response flexibility, memory, and all kinds of other things that would actually best serve you in challenging situations.
The good news is that according to a study published in the Journal of Individual Differences, anxiety can also motivate you to do better as long as you do ONE key thing — choose to see a stressful situation not as a threat, but as a challenge.
Seeing a situation or circumstance as a challenge rather than a threat helps you channel the energy from anxiety in ways that can actually help your performance rather than hurt it.
Here’s what I mean.
Something we’ve probably all experienced at one time or another is a looming deadline.
As the due date approaches and you still aren’t ready to turn in that project, give that presentation, or have that conversation, you’ll most likely feel anxious.
If you channel anxiety to help propel you into action to complete it on time, you’re controlling anxiety and channeling it to serve you.
If you allow anxiety to propel you under your covers, to put your head in the sand, or to avoid what needs to be done, you’re allowing anxiety to control you.
One of the seven typical patterns that accompanies anxiety is avoidant behaviors.
Anxiety is like a master that craves two things — comfort and certainty.
Avoiding something keeps you in your well-known comfort zone where it feels safe.
Using your energy to push anxious feelings down or avoid something altogether will reinforce the thought that anxiety is bad and that experiencing it will harm you.
But, it’s false peace because you know that deadline is still there.
So, avoiding or suppressing anxiety actually ends up doing two things.
One, it causes more anxiety. Like a beach ball shoved under water, it will surface sooner or later, and often with tremendous force.
Two, it shrinks your world.
Because avoiding something felt good and we often equate good with safe, the next time you encounter similar situations, your brain tells you to avoid those too.
Pretty soon, your world grows smaller and smaller as that sphere in which you are willing to play shrinks.
So, what can you do?
Research shows that people perform better when they acknowledge their anxiety.
Label your emotions and accept that feeling anxious can be part of the process to help channel your time and energy to do what needs to be done.
Embrace It, don’t avoid It.
Anxiety can feel uncomfortable. And because we’re taught that anxiety is bad and it doesn’t feel good, it gets a bad rap.
Just because something is uncomfortable, doesn’t mean it’s bad or that you can’t handle it.
Taking action even when you’re anxious, helps you to grow your confidence that you CAN handle discomfort.
Use stepping outside your comfort zone as evidence to create the belief that you CAN feel the discomfort and do it anyway.
You’re more powerful than you think.
Actually, you’re exactly as powerful as you think you are, so choose to embrace the truth that you’re more powerful than you think you are.
Remind yourself that feeling anxious is normal.
Remind yourself to embrace it and channel it by viewing the situation not as a threat, but as a challenge.
Don’t let anxiety derail you from your dreams. You can still succeed even if you’re nervous.
#MentalFitness isn’t about feeling good all the time. It’s allowing yourself to feel uncomfortable, choosing to shift, and taking action anyway.
Take control of anxiety, rather than allowing anxiety to take control of you.
If excessive anxiety and worry are interfering with your everyday life, making it difficult to do everyday activities more days than not for the past six months or longer, it could be a sign that you’re a great candidate for extra support. A professional, especially one trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and similar modalities, could help.
Anxiety is HIGHLY treatable, but according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA), only 36.9% of people suffering seek help.
Don’t be a statistic. Be the hero of your journey. Even Harry Potter needed Dumbledore.
