The heart pounding with fear, lungs gasping for air, hands trembling with apprehension, trepidation of negative thoughts hitting the mind……have you ever experienced all these? Many times in our lives we come across these feelings. While attending an interview, proposing to someone, speaking in public, before an examination, in a presentation or meeting, in social settings, there are various situations where you must have felt like this. Technically speaking, all these experiences or the feeling of fear / apprehension is known as “Anxiety”. The roots and expression of anxiety can be in manifold ways. It can either torment you mentally or make you uncomfortable physically. Keeping all the symptoms apart, anxiety is becoming very common these days. Even a small child is also not spared by it!

Why does anxiety occur is the main question that arises here. According to Psychologists and Behavioural Scientists, anxiety may be caused either due to neuro-chemical disturbances in the brain, faulty coping styles, genetic transmission, medical reasons, drug interactions/reactions or situational variants. However, sometimes anxiety is just an outcome of an illusion thought. Many a times you must have experienced anxiety out of the blue. More than half of the world population feels anxious or worry due to illusion thoughts created in one’s mind. Let me explain it by an example: You have an examination at 10:00 AM in the morning. Due to it you may spend sleepless night by thinking whether you will be able to crack the exam or not. You won’t feel like eating your breakfast, even if your college is just half an hour drive, you will want to leave for college at 8:00 AM sharp. You will get anxious by thinking what if you miss the college bus, what if there is a traffic jam in between, what if something unexpected happens. All these thoughts enhance your physical discomfort, negative apprehensions and maladaptive behaviour. Actually folks, the reality here is two obvious things: One is the exam and the other thing is your attendance in the exam. But, in between all the thoughts/discomfort/fear that came in your mind was nothing but anxiety or anxiety-provoking thoughts. On the other way round you may easily reach at the venue on time and pass the exams with flying colours! Simple, isn’t it?

Our mind is so much tamed to think negative that sometimes we are compelled to attract unnecessary anxiety-provoking thoughts out of the blue. In sensitive situations instead of thinking about positive things and positive outcomes, our mind is dragged towards negative anxious thoughts. Therefore, sometimes anxiety is a product of illusion thinking. Whatever you think may not be true at all. Do you know what is going to happen the next moment? Lol…Even I don’t know. So when the future is unknown then why to think about it negatively? Why is it so difficult to be positive, think positive and do positive?

It is because you are tightly entrapped in the vicious circle of your past negative experiences, failures, inhibitions, fears, your prejudices and stereotypes and so on. Moreover, you may not have ample faith on yourself, your values, virtues, potentialities, strengths…so this may be also increasing your anxiety levels.

When you feel anxious just ask one thing to yourself: Is it so easy to think negative about yourself and so difficult to believe in yourself? Are you not worth? The answers to it will be negative in the beginning and to the point you believe in yourself. The moment you start having trust on yourself and your capabilities….more than half of your anxiety problems will fade away or run away. Similarly if your anxiety is due to any fear factor, you need to understand that what you fear may not be present at all! Suppose you are afraid of going in the dark due to fear of something. It could be just that, that “something” may not be present there at all. Just try and give yourself another chance buddies. I am sure when you will overcome these illusion thoughts and fight against these anxious thoughts you will laugh at yourself thinking about these silly fake thoughts which were not true at all. Getting rid of your anxieties and worries will also help you to explore many things about yourself and the world around you. It is all about a matter of leaping forward rather than stepping back.

To sum up, I would like to say that anxiety is fear/worrying or apprehension about something. That “something” may just be in our minds and may not be present in reality. Since the future is unknown to you, there is no point in thinking about it and losing productive moments. Instead of thinking and getting anxious about the future, try to shape your future by working in your present. Try to build your present in such a way that your future gets molded in a positive way automatically and does not haunt you.

The next time you feel anxious rather than thinking “what if, what if”? Try thinking “what I need or ought to do?” Because…

“Worrying is carrying tomorrow’s load with today’s strength- carrying two days at once. It is moving into tomorrow ahead of time. Worrying doesn’t empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength.” ― Corrie ten Boom

Best wishes,

Sareeta