Breathe!
Recently I was chatting to a friend, and she told me how she was despised cause of her anxiety episodes, this hindered how she expresses herself. With all the media and information around us, we are either a lazy generation, lack basic information skills or proudly live in a bubble. I believe everyone is susceptible to anxiety as it is a result of a complex interaction of social, psychological and biological factors as stated by the World Health Organisation on 27th September 2023.
An example of anxiety is that kings fear their thrones will be trumped and governments know that eventually systems won’t be accepted by societies. Investors fear investing in the wrong stock companies picture an individual who might have lived in a recession and would fear facing the same circumstances or one who lived through the Great Depression in World War 1.
Accepting the anxiety as it comes as one can’t change the constant fear of worry and fear. Thus one has to embrace the anxiety, give oneself grace and try to control the episodes that come along. The trick is to improve how one responds to worry or fear of control, which pushes the anxiety to rise. I am constantly learning to control my episodes and not put the heaviness towards the people I care about and being receptive to correction as well. Being aware and not putting the stress on others. We are our saviours, we have to put in the work to prevent the episodes and think positively with resilience. Community helps us to grow through the episodes, however if one can't save themselves there's nothing much they can do.
Last year I got an opportunity to carry out an exercise aimed at Resilience & Growth Mindset Session ( almost attended with partial attention) trying to beat deadlines. Below are the questions and my tiny voices.
How many times Do we feel incompetent despite being in the position you are in today? (why do you feed your mind with little nutcrackers) That week was a roller coaster, little did I know that’s what the session would tackle.
Picture yourself 60 years in the future; Well I pictured myself like Granny in Courage the Cowardly Dog. With beautiful grey hair, round frames and pearls 🤪🤪. Well, Granny was always smiling despite all the crazy circumstances around her.
What’s your biggest regret; always muting the little voice in my head and listening to others.
Goal in the next 6 months; focus. How will you achieve that goal; consistency?
We tend to focus on minor challenges and feed our brain with fear which cramps up the anxiety instead of building something solution-based with positive effects to stop the fear. I loved this exercise and I believe someone can use it whenever they feel challenged.
Ways to reduce stigma in anxiety; In the long run, inclusion and fostering a safe space for not just our friends but also family and our next peers will eradicate the stigma aimed at anxiety and other associated mental health. I believe also lack of funding also leads to people doubting mental health as most people believe by seeing, how will one believe one has anxiety or any mental health ailment without an assessment? Further, a study in the United States shows that mental health awareness has reduced suicide by around 30% fewer suicide attempts among patients who were screened and received evidence-based care compared, to patients who were not screened.
It startled me as my aunt Ana, once mentioned depression and embraced it, and her coming from a generation that often brushed away mental health and often lacked resources is a joy. Unrelated, Recently I was attending a black history month and the speaker mentioned “My dyslexia is kicking in”, I am glad we are in a generation where we embrace the shortcomings that affect our daily lives. I am proud of all the generations that brought up the mental health movement and all generations embracing the movement for a more concise society ❤️
To all the anxious minds assumptions never help at all. Building up non-existent bricks and walls that never build or lead to any clarification. Some insight shared by most of my friends; what you have no control over, ignore and what you can change try to make the best of it.
