Coping with Anxiety

Over the last 10 years I have noticed something strange evolving. I have patients coming in with their chief complaint being, “I am anxious all the time.” I have family members and friends telling me the same thing. But what has changed? Has the change occurred in our genetic makeup, or is something in our lives increasing our anxiety levels? Something certainly seems to be causing the increase in anxiety. What is anxiety? In order to understand how to cope with anxiety, you must understand what it is to begin with. Anxiety is commonly defined as "distress or uneasiness of mind caused by fear of danger or misfortune." It is medically defined as "a state of apprehension and psychic tension occurring in some forms of mental disorder." Anxiety is often called fear, foreboding, worry, and apprehension. It’s the opposite of certainty, serenity, and tranquility. Anxiety shares a Latin root with the word angst. In philosophy, angst means the dread caused by man's awareness that his future is not determined but must be freely chosen. Stress and Anxiety Today, anxiety is commonly referred to as stress. The two, however, are slightly different. Stress is the result of the meaning you give the things around you. It has little to do with what is happening to you. If stress was directly related to the things happening to you, CEOs of Fortune 500 companies would be stressed all the time. Yet by most accounts, they all seem happy and stress free. Stress is an internal phenomenon directly related to the story you tell yourself about the things that happen to you. Anxiety is a fundamental part of life. Our bodies were designed to naturally respond to things using either the “flight or fight” response. This response makes us more aware of our surroundings and improves our performance. It becomes detrimental to our health, however, when we internalize it and let it get out of hand. Fear vs. Faith Fear is another word for anxiety. An easy way to get rid of fear is to have faith. Fear and faith cannot co-exist. Fear says, " I am afraid of the future and worried about what might happen." Faith says, "I do all I can do and leave the result in the hands of a higher power." You are responsible for your actions, but you are not always responsible for the results. It is up to you to do the right thing and leave the outcome of that thing in a power higher than your own. With faith your realize everything happens just as it is supposed to. It is up to you to figure out why those things happen and how you can use the lessons they create. Faith allows you to turn your story around. Fear allows you to become a victim. Inner Peace The opposite of anxiety is inner peace. Stress arises when we let outside forces trump our inside desires and thoughts. To answer the question we started with, stress is directly related to our society. I don’t believe our genetic code has changed. I believe we spend so much time dealing with exte al distractions that we do not take time to deal with what is going on inside off us. When was the last time you took time to exercise, meditate, journal, take a nap, go for a walk, get back to nature, fish or golf? We live in a world of constant connection. We are committed to answering calls, checking e-mails, texting, playing on Facebook, and generally staying so busy every waking hour that we do not take enough time to care for our inner self. Your inner self craves nourishment. That nourishment comes in several ways. If you want to manage your anxiety, I recommend you make time for you. If that is a new concept for you, consider doing these things: exercise, journal, meditate, walk, schedule think time, and practice good breathing. If you need help learning to do these things, I highly recommend my book Health Plan for Life: 10 Days to a New You. Remember, anxiety is something you internalize. There are two things you should not worry about: 1. Things you can do something about. 2. Things you can't. You are too blessed to be stressed. [Ed. Note: Share your thoughts about this topic below. Want Dr. Tim to help you get healthy? Check out his book Health Plan for Life: 10 Days to a New You.]