Tags
Allow a 6 year old to teach you about risk and personal growth. Enjoy
20 Thursday Aug 2015
Posted Fear, Imagination, Inspiration, Life Mastery Skills, Resilience, The Optimism Corner
inTags
Allow a 6 year old to teach you about risk and personal growth. Enjoy
02 Sunday Mar 2014
Posted Emotion School, Life Mastery Skills, Mindfulness, Resilience, Wellness
inTags
Anxiety, Emotions, excessive anxiety and worry, Generalized Anxiety, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Stress, Stress management, Worry
Philosopher’s Path
Kyoto, Japan
Don’t let your mind bully your body into believing it must carry the burden of its worries. Astrid Alauda
Dear Friends, do you suffer from anxiety?
Did you know that 3.1% (6.8 million people) of Americans suffer from Generalized Anxiety Disorder?
According to the DSMlV you have Generalized Anxiety (GAD) if:
A. At least 6 months of “excessive anxiety and worry” about a variety of events and situations. Generally, “excessive” can be interpreted as more than would be expected for a particular situation or event. Most people become anxious over certain things, but the intensity of the anxiety typically corresponds to the situation.
B. There is significant difficulty in controlling the anxiety and worry. If someone has a very difficult struggle to regain control, relax, or cope with the anxiety and worry, then this requirement is met.
C. The presence for most days over the previous six months of 3 or more (only 1 for children) of the following symptoms:
1. Feeling wound-up, tense, or restless
2. Easily becoming fatigued or worn-out
3. Concentration problems
4. Irritability
5. Significant tension in muscles
6. Difficulty with sleep
D. The symptoms are not part of another mental disorder.
E. The symptoms cause “clinically significant distress” or problems functioning in daily life. “Clinically significant” is the part that relies on the perspective of the treatment provider. Some people can have many of the aforementioned symptoms and cope with them well enough to maintain a high level of functioning.
F. The condition is not due to a substance or medical issue
-DSMlV
Does any of that sound familiar to you?
Anxiety is a physical condition. We experience it in association with the emotion fear.
When we find ourselves in situations we don’t believe we can handle, our brain interprets that as a danger to our survival and immediately releases hormones such as adrenalin and cortisol to prepare us to fight, flight, or freeze.
Those hormones cause chemical changes in our body that translate into the symptoms of anxiety. Think for a moment what it feels like when adrenalin is rushing through your veins.
In our busy lives, the demands on our attention and time are extreme. It is natural to feel like what we are asked to do is more than we can handle. Feeling like we “can’t handle it” is the most common cause of GAD.
“It’s not enough to be busy; so are the ants. The question is: what are we busy about?” Henry David Thoreau
We each have a different capacity for how much we can handle.
Do you ever feel like your plate is too full? There are times in our lives such as when we are parenting small children, or going to school while working that can make us feel like we can’t do it all.
Other times we have chosen to do too many things or accepted assignments we really don’t have time to do, or may not even know how to do.
It really gets complicated when ALL of the above apply.
Often our perception of what we have to do is the culprit.
If we believe:
... we must be perfect and always have the approval of others
or,
… demand that others always do “the right thing”
or
…believe life must be easy or something is wrong
… then we will have anxiety because those along with many other beliefs are not based in truth. We can’t “handle” a fantasy.
Fact #1 Nobody is perfect. It is impossible to have everyone’s approval.
Fact #2 The only person we can control is ourselves.
Fact #3 The nature of life is change.
What Can You Do if You Have Anxiety?
If you have struggled with anxiety, you are in good company. Here is a list of well known people who have or had anxiety.
I would love to hear how anxiety has impacted you in your life. Your comments help me, help you. I along with fellow readers would welcome any tips you have discovered along the way that have helped in managing your anxiety.
Until next, time may you find your cup half full 🙂
Love, Barbara
13 Monday May 2013
Posted Emotion School, Life Mastery Skills, Wellness
inIndicator #18
I am able to identify what emotion I am feeling at any given time
“Weekly Wellness Check-in” is an ongoing weekly post appearing on Mondays, in which I present one indicator from a checklist of positive mental health attributes. Take a look at the indicator and think about how it applies to you, keeping in mind it is an important factor of well-being. We all excel at some things, and need to work on others. Rate yourself on a scale of 1-10; One, meaning I am a failure at this, and ten, meaning I have no room for improvement. Nobody may record a 1 or a 10 because there are no failures, and nobody is perfect. If you are happy with where you placed yourself, consider the indicator a strength. If you aren’t, think about a “realistic” place you would like to get to and how you might carry it out. My hope is that you will give it some gentle thought. I’d love to hear your tips on how to make each a strength in the comment section.
Previous weeks…
Indicator #1 I get a good night’s sleep so I feel healthy and alert
Indicator #2 I eat healthy foods to promote health and well being
Indicator #3 I exercise regularly
Indicator #4 I avoid mood altering substances (unless taken as prescribed).
Indicator #5 I make time each week to engage in activities that give me pleasure
Indicator #6 I have friends and family that I can talk to whenever I need a sense of connectedness
Indicator #7 I live in a home that feels safe and nurturing
Indicator #10 I let go of guilt for my past mistakes
Indicator #11 I have enough money, time, friends, space, love, fun, and affection
Indicator #12 I take action based out of love rather than fear
Indicator #13 I am part of a community that gives me a sense of purpose
Indicator #14 I live a life based on choice and meaning
Indicator #15 I am able to ask others for what I need
Indicator# 16 I am able to say no when I don’t want to do something
Indicator #17 I am effectively able to express my feelings and stand up for what I believe in