Five Ways to Successfully Process Anxiety

Anxiety is a condition that teaches us to keep things inward and not let others know about them. This only serves to strengthen our anxious response to many situations in life, and it increases the depth of our anxious belief system, which means that our condition will only worsen and hurt the quality of our life and the lives of others.
This article aims at giving the reader a guide of how to process anxiety successfully, meaning that it is moved outside of one's brain and into the world, never to cause the anxiety-sufferer trouble again. Well, this is a tad of an overstatement, but the more we discuss our anxious fears and worries with others, the more we will find that our anxiety reduces and our happiness and relaxation increases. In many cases, it is entirely possible to rid ourselves of anxiety entirely if we discuss the situation enough in ways that are effective for each of us.

The first way, and it is this way of which I am a big advocate, is to have discussions about things that make us feel anxious. The Anxiety Support Network's article entitled Supportive Friends gives much more detail about how this works. In a nutshell, the more we discuss talking with our friends who respect the struggles we have, the better we feel about ourselves and the more relaxation and happiness we experience in our lives, while the reverse is true if we refuse to talk about our problems. This is one method, it seems, that is effective to varying degrees for all human beings and is strongly recommended (Stelter, 2009).

The next way that can be very effective for some (others hate it) is to journal. Journaling, for some, seems to provide some sort of release and, much like supportive friends, it seems to help relieve one's anxiety level and help one to think much more rationally. This method is not necessarily effective for everyone, but it certainly is effective for some.

An additional method for processing anxiety, and this seems to work especially well with introverts, is to be alone in nature. Being alone in nature can be very spiritual, peaceful, and relaxing for some, and it can provide that time for one to be alone with his her thoughts, and in many cases, this is where some individuals think best. This does not endorse any new-age type of viewpoints; rather, one is just simply to take this as being alone in nature can be a place of healing for some.

A fourth method for processing anxiety is by exercising. Exercising burns off all that extra anxiety and increases our feelings of confidence, self-esteem, and happiness, while simultaneously reducing anxiety, fear, and even low self-esteem. Anxiety Support Network's article, Anxiety and Exercise, gives additional details on this method of relieving anxiety. This method, it seems, is another one that is universal and applies to all human beings in all places at all times.

The final method that is believed to allow for processing of anxiety is in our dreams, and this is currently a belief of many modern psychologists. Just how this occurs is a mystery, but many of us will notice that over the years as our anxiety improves, that the recurring themes of our dreams tend to change. Dreams where we feel lonely, isolated, and scared will change to other dreams where we are happy, having fun, or perhaps even neutral without having any feelings at all. It has been said that those with recurring dreams of being alone at sea are having anxiety issues caused by an unwanted separation from their mother. The sea symbolizes a vast realm that is unknown and scary (read anxiety-provoking), and this is where the individual feels like he or she is now that he or she is missing his or her maternal figure.

On a closing note, it is important to remember that this is not a comprehensive or exhaustive guide to processing anxiety. While anxiety can be very cunning, baffling, and powerful, there exists in the world an infinite number of tools for processing it successfully. This article has mentioned but a few that have helped the author in his experience. What has worked for the author, as noted, will work for all people in the cases of supportive relationships and exercise, although possibly to varying degrees. The other options have had an impact on the author, but it seems these options are not universal, and that in many cases they will not work for others. The bottom line, as the author has noted in other articles, is for each person to try different methods and gauge his or her reaction to these different methods and see if those reactions are positive, negative, or neutral. It should also be noted that there are many other potential and existing methods for processing anxiety that are effective for different persons, and that are hopefully successful. This guide was intended as a starting point to help those who do not yet know how to help themselves, and to possibly add a few other ideas for those who may be struggling. So, good luck on your journey to recovery from anxiety!

References

Stelter, D.J. (2009). Anxiety and Exercise. The Anxiety Support Network. Retrieved March 7, 2009
from http://www.anxietysupportnetwork.com/articles.html

Stelter, D.J. (2009). Supportive Friends. The Anxiety Support Network. Retrieved March 7, 2009 from http://www.anxietysupportnetwork.com/articles.html