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"Anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows, but only empties today of its strength." -Charles Spurgeon
An unpleasant state of mental uneasiness, nervousness, apprehension and obsession or concern about some uncertain event is the bane of many in our world today. While some have found a way to overcome it, a good number are still captives of anxiety.
As each day unfolds with new challenges, it is normal to be anxious. However I want to challenge us to be 'abnormal' when it comes to being anxious because, accepting the status quo will only do us more harm than good, in that -"a crust eaten in peace is better than a banquet partaken in anxiety." -Aesop
To gain command of life and destiny, we must learn to fight anxiety with all that we've got. Many are confronted with negative thoughts when seeking to venture into something new, thus leading them to either fail at it or not to even try at all.
Failure must not be feared; fear of failure must be feared. Failure must be seen as a learning process. When you understand this, you discard negative thoughts and confront life with all positivity, knowing that everything eventually falls in place with the right amount of push. Even if you fail, you learn how to do it better the next time.
OVERCOMING ANXIETY
I read an Interesting story online which I want to share with you. It was about Amy, a young lady who battled anxiety and depression for 10 years. Year after year she tried to keep her head above water, trying frantically to stay afloat. It was exhausting for her.
Anxiety manifested itself (past tense!) as negative thoughts spiralling out of control, constant thoughts that she wasn’t good enough. Her anxiety was centred on social situations, primarily the fear of having a panic attack in public and not being able to control it.
One day a gift arrived from an old school friend. It came with a note explaining how the gift helped him in fighting his fears and overcoming anxiety which created room for an effective lifestyle. The gift was a book, ”The art of happiness” by Matthieu
The book was a form of meditation that taught anxious people not to try stopping the constant barrage of anxious thoughts, but rather to notice them, and let them go.
She got to understand that we can physically alter the structure of our brains, and that we are not destined to a life of anxiety. She was no longer trapped – there was a way out!
Immediately she started fighting anxiety with everything in her, it lost its power over her. According to her, "the negative thoughts do still pop up, but what has changed is how I react to them now that they no longer frighten me. On the few occasions that I have had panic attacks since practicing mindfulness, I have consciously switched to mindful breathing and the panic has subsided. The vicious circle has gone, and has been replaced with positive thoughts about everything I have achieved and may yet achieve. I will always have anxious thoughts, I’m only human, but I know they are just that, just thoughts."
The best way out of anxiety is often to expose ourselves to the things we are afraid of. The world is ours to conquer and we don't engage in a conquest with fears; if not we've already lost the battle even before it started. Therefore let's resolve today to engage and fill our hearts with positivity and calmness and secure a winning lifestyle.