Fear and Anxiety: How it affects us!

In life there are many problems that we as people have to face and try to always show our best side for the sake of social acceptance. This can get very complicated and is something that is usually easier said than done. Fear and anxiety are part of human nature and every human being will feel the same thing whenever there is an issue or there is something that we are unable to control. 

When we notice that things are getting out of hand, we might not be able to perform in a defined our exemplary manner and so we start to get flustered, we may take certain actions and say things to try and help us get out of that particular situation but this will usually only make things worse. Therefore fear and anxiety are an important part of our human psyche. Even though it may have its negatives, there are also pros of having fears. If you look at fear in a positive manner can be easily considered as a driving force for most people. Fear helps you understand the consequences of your actions and therefore makes sure that you perform your duties in a competent manner or you may fall short of something.  Fear is a way for our bodies to tell us something is not right and needs to change or we need to take action to avoid consequences, try to see it as an early warning system.  

Fear is our friend

6 Ways to overcome fear and anxiety

Simple ways to overcome the feeling of fear and anxiety

Stop for a moment

This is perhaps one of the most important things that you must do if you are feeling fear or anxiety, this is important, because when you are feeling such extreme pressures and stress, you must be able to emotionally as well as physically calm yourself down, and the only and the best way to do that is by taking yourself out of that situation. Stop what you are doing and just stay still for 10 – 15 minutes and understand what it is happening around you. Once you have grasped the situation you may move further. 

Reason being you will be able to resolve the situation with a clear mind and rational thinking. When we are in a state of fear or panic, our judgement is clouded.

Take a breather and break away from fear

This is yet another important factor that you must understand and the reason for that is very simple human Physiology. When you are in a panic mode or are feeling fear or are in a state of anxiety then you must stop and take a few deep breaths. The first thing this would do is it would calm your fast heartbeat down to a normal level and therefore help you relax. This will give your mind a break from its mental exhaustion and it will make sure that your brain understands the panic you are in and therefore eliminates the anxiety and tries to create solutions and produces ideas that will take you out of that situation.

These are my favourite breathing techniques

• Cookie Breaths (Pretend that you have a plate full of hot cookies in front of you, start by smelling how delicious they smell, then blow on them to cool them down)
• Square Breathing (Close your eyes, imagine a large square. Now on each side of the square, take turns breathing in for 4 seconds, then next side breathe out for 4 and so on. Completing the square)
• Balloon Breaths (Pretend that you are holding a invisible balloon, then start inflating it with your breath)

Get Fresh air to clear your mind

Going out for a walk has always helped me when feeling anxious, the combination of fresh air, moving around (allowing the blood in your body to better circulate) and the change of scenery has a profound effect on your mind and anxiety levels. I feel that it removes you from your current thought patterns ( basically distracting your mind) and allows you to regain focus.

Mindfulness Meditation for fear and anxiety

I know what you are thinking, Meditation is not going to help me. I need something much stronger… Trust me there is nothing quite as powerful as doing a quick session of mindfulness to help you regain control and eliminate negative thinking patterns. 

I usually do a quick 5 to 15 minutes meditation, and end up feeling rejuvenated and refreshed, almost as if I just had a powernap. 

I was never a believer of mindfulness, but my life changed dramatically and willing to try anything. I found this being the most useful resource next to running.

Exercise can improve the feeing of anxiety

Like I was saying I love to run, not necessarily for fitness, although that wouldn’t necessarily hurt either. Running is known to be incredibly good for your mental health, whether it is anxiety or depression, it helps you clear your thoughts and leaves you feeling euphoric with feel good hormones (endorphins)

Conclusion

Here is a breakdown 

• Stop for a moment
• Take a breather
• Fresh Air
• Mindfulness Meditation
• Excercise

See also:

The Powerful benefits of Mindfulness meditation

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