6 tips to curb anxiety
A man sneezes! Immediately from the back of the vehicle, a scream rends the air interrupting the otherwise quiet ambiance.
Before we untangle the mystery behind the scream, the sneezing man coughs spontaneously holding unto his lungs like they were going to fall off. A cause of worry on my side is that mouth covering, and the associated hygiene is borrowed vocabularies in this man’s world. To complete the equation he is not masked, and he wears this carefree attitude as he chews some green leaves like a starved goat.
Well, you see I am seated in this 14-seater public vehicle headed home after a long day’s work. Evening traffic is slowly building up and some of the passengers are dozing off including the screaming one who caused the driver to park by the roadside to address his issue.
He narrated that at the point where he screamed, he was dreaming that he was in the hospital and somebody was testing him for COVID-19 by inserting the specimen collecting gadgets through his nose to his discomfort. Of course, the driver shakes his head in anger that he wasted his time to listen to a mere dream. But was it a mere dream?
In my world, this dream narration makes a lot of sense and it jerks my brains to work. In these times of many pshyco-stressors arising from the current global pandemic, I am yet to meet one person who does not have at least something they fear or are uncertain about. What the driver may not understand is that the screaming passenger may be battling anxiety.
So then what is anxiety? Simply put, it is a person’s conscious state of worry over a future unwanted event or fear of an actual situation. This could be instances like waiting for medical examination results, preparing for an interview, waiting to be hired, or fear of losing a job among many others. Anxiety like water takes many forms. It might manifest as panic attacks, sickening flashbacks of post-traumatic stress disorder, or powerful phobia. Positive anxiety motivates one to react accordingly to a real physical threat.
The question is can one overcome anxiety? Firstly, remember that King Solomon said there is nothing new under the sun and the fact of the matter is that majority have overcome these feelings before. Psychologists recommend the application of these simple tips to curb anxiety.
- Relax – When your body is relaxed you become less anxious
- Name the anxiety either out loud or internally or by writing it down
- Face the anxiety – avoidance builds fear while approaching the feared situation helps to diminish it.
- Breathe out the anxiety by breathing out longer
- Grade the anxiety, then decide what number you would be happy within this situation and breathe your way down to that level.
- Exercise regularly – This will help your body to ease the tension that is causing anxiety
- Have a support system – This will help you find strength and support from people you trust when you feel helpless and overwhelmed.
We all agree that life’s journey is not a straight line. There are twists and turns as well as dark paths and light ones. Apostle Paul reminds us that we should not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, we should present our requests to God and the peace of God which transcends all understanding, will guard our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7). I agree with Apostle Paul that prayer is a tried and proven medication to anxiety.
Prayer
Father, we thank you because of your faithfulness to us. We are in a season when many people are clouded with anxiety. We pray that you will remind them of your presence and love for them. Help them to remember that you can take them through the storms of life and give them hope for every day. Amen
By Dorcas Marangu – Counselor Psychologist