Health and Family
12 lessons anxiety taught me
Although it weakens us, it teaches us to live more fully and consciously, valuing what really matters in our lives.
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Feeling anxious can lead to anger, frustration, pain and that feeling of constantly wondering. (Photo Prensa Libre: Shutterstock)
You may wonder if there is anything positive regarding having anxiety, especially if it is chronic.
How beneficial is it to fall asleep with your heart beating rapidly and feeling like it’s beating out of your chest? What’s good regarding days or nights with cold sweats (diaphoresis), the imminent feeling that something is going to happen, that feeling that we are having a chronic illness, that we will have an accident at any moment or that difficulty breathing even when we are in the quietest place on the planet? Symptoms such as anxiety, nausea, dizziness, chest pain and, sometimes, lack of appetite? Is there anything positive regarding feeling like we are collapsing without having gotten out of bed, regarding wanting to feel better but our body and mind won’t let us?
Undesirable effects
At some point, having anxiety can lead to anger, frustration, pain, and that feeling of constantly wondering: What are we doing wrong?
This can turn a sunny day or time with our family, friends or partner into something we can’t enjoy, something that keeps us from getting out of bed or something that makes us feel like something bad is going to happen when driving a car. While all these unpleasant symptoms take over our body and incapacitate us physically and mentally, many doubts and fears arise even when we are asleep.
Having anxiety went from being something bad to something I was grateful for, because looking at it from another perspective, it’s interesting how life can shake us and give us all these symptoms that make us feel so sick, leading us to the deepest pain or insecurities or even questioning our existence.
The learnings
- Prioritize myself: No one is more important than me. My priority is to take care of myself, from the food I eat to the conversations I have with myself or with other people.
- Getting enough sleep: making sure my sleep is restful.
- Exercise: keeping my body in good condition and functioning properly.
- Enjoy love: value the love of my family, friends and partner.
- Be thankful: practice being grateful for the things I have and for everything I have achieved to date, especially if they are intangible things or situations.
- Meditate: Incorporate daily meditation, practicing breathing and relaxation exercises, and maintaining full attention.
- Expressing my emotions: being clear regarding how I react to certain situations and how I manage my emotions.
- Seek professional help: Talking to a mental health professional, whether a psychologist or psychiatrist, is crucial in this process. A clear, accurate and precise diagnosis is essential.
- Living in the present: not worrying regarding future situations that may never happen and not clinging to the past or living with the suffering of something that has already happened.
- Practicing forgiveness: forgiving myself and others.
- Believing in something or someone higher: Being a believer in something or someone or practicing a religion can be important in this process. Focusing our attention on a higher being allows us to feel understood and supported.
- Accepting anxiety: One of the most important lessons I learned is not to fight anxiety, but to accept it. I recognize that there are reasons why it appears in my life and I accept that it comes as a process to initiate a change towards something better.
*Special for Prensa Libre
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