Masterful Mindsets – Eliminating Anxiety Is Easy
“Nothing diminishes anxiety faster than action.” ~ Walter Anderson
Question:
Has something been bothering you lately? Causing you stress, anxiety, maybe some sleepless nights or an upset stomach? Is it a decision you are putting off? Or something you know you must do but you are hesitating to do it? What action do you need to take to move forward?
Action Challenge:
I’m sure you can recall times in your own life when you may have been anxious or worried about something. And that anxiety might have caused some irritability or general restlessness. But what about when anxiety persists? Increased or continual anxiety can be a serious issue. What starts out as misdirected energy can turn into insomnia, acid reflux, headaches, depression or even full out panic attacks. Anxiety and worry can weaken your immune system and wreak havoc on your life.
Let’s face it – anxiety is no small problem! As a matter of fact, there’re an estimated 40 million American adults who are currently living with some type of anxiety disorder. And of those, 6.8 million are suffering from Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) which is usually brought on over time, by excessive and persistent worrying.
But what if anxiety could be avoided?
In many instances, diminishing anxiety is as simple as redirecting your energy in such a way that you move from spinning in worry to taking action that moves you forward. And it is in taking action, that you can not only diminish the anxiety – but more importantly, often eliminate the issue that was causing your anxiety to begin with.
So if it’s that easy, then why don’t people just take action? The number one reason most people don’t take action is because they are afraid. But, not taking action doesn’t eliminate the fear – quite the opposite, it usually creates more fear and that in turn creates worry and anxiety (among other things).
I was on a call with a client recently who was feeling a great deal of anxiety over a situation that she was facing. Her boundaries were being ignored by a co-worker and she didn’t like it. The more we discussed her options, the more obvious it became that to do nothing about the situation would only cause more tension and anxiety then stepping out of her comfort zone and taking action. See, she’s a recovering people pleaser, so not only does she struggles with any type of confrontation, for her, it brings up a great deal of fear that she will disappoint people. But she made the firm decision that it was time to take action. And through our conversation, not only gained the courage to do it but developed a plan for the actions she would take.
A couple days later, I got an update from her (as I do regularly from my clients when I’m holding them accountable for completing something) and it was no surprise that the first line of her email was, “I am so relieved…” Not only had her actions resulted in a solution to the issue she was dealing with, but the internal confidence meter had risen. The actions she took didn’t have the exact outcome she was hoping for but it was close and it was certainly an improvement. Most of all, she is now resting easier, knowing that taking action really was the fastest way to step past her fear and alleviate her anxiety.
My challenge for you is to take action this week on something that has been causing you anxiety. Whether it’s something simple like getting caught up on emails (yes, even an overflowing inbox can cause anxiety) or something much more complex. Decide what actions need to be taken to decrease or eliminate your anxiety and then begin to take those decisive actions toward resolving whatever it is that is currently causing you anxiety. You’ll be surprised at how quickly your anxiety fades.
***I want to hear from you… share your thoughts about this week’s topic below.