Anxiety

Everyone gets anxious from time to time, but to what extent they do differs from person to person. Some people have more, some people have less. Everyone has their own ways of dealing with anxiety. Some people meditate, some people medicate, some people spend time in nature and many other different methods out there. There are many sources that anxiety can come from. It could come from work, it could come from school, it could come from people, places or things. We all have different things that trigger anxiety for us. I think there is both good and bad anxiety. Good anxiety is the kind we get that pushes us to do things that we wouldn't do otherwise. It's the anxiety that makes us cram for that test that we need to study for. It's the anxiety that pushes us to be productive for fear of the repercussions. That's good anxiety. Bad anxiety, on the other hand, is the kind that paralyzes us. Unfortunately I've experienced that anxiety many times throughout my life. Panic attacks are just terrible. That feeling when it's like someone is sitting on your chest and your heart feels like it's about to burst out of your chest is just the absolute worst. However, I've found that there are ways to deal with that type of anxiety before it cripples you entirely. Most of my panic attacks happened because I was buried under school work. They came from the knowledge that I had so many things to do and the fear that I wouldn't able to get it all done. The way I learned to deal with that kind of anxiety is to simply take a deep breath and take on each task one at a time. Utilizing tunnel vision has always been the best way I've had to manage anxiety. Doing my best to push everything else out of my mind and focus on one task at a time has been the most effective method I have for dealing with school or work related anxiety, but the thing is, there are many other types of anxiety that I either haven't experienced, or have and just don't know how to manage. I'd be a liar if I said I didn't care what people think of me. Embarrassing myself in social situations is another large source of anxiety for me. The best way I know how to deal with that type of anxiety is to talk myself out of it; I just tell myself the truth, that whatever I did wasn't a big deal and that people will forget about it in a short time. However, no matter how many times I tell myself this, the anxiety will still persist. I get anxiety over things I may have said or done years in the past, even though I keep telling myself that everyone has forgotten. I know it's irrational to get bent out of shape over things like that but I can't help it. Another thing that helps me deal with that type of anxiety is the knowledge that I'm not alone. I know many people who have been in the same boat and that's even more comforting. Anxiety sucks, but it exists for a reason; to keep ourselves in check and keep ourselves moving forward in life . It's something that we all have to battle with from time to time, which is why it's important to learn how to effectively manage it.