Dec 21, 20234 min read

Anxiety, the Emotion of the 21st Century

Updated: Feb 25

Unlocking the Secrets of Anxiety: Understanding, Coping, and Thriving

How does anxiety take over your life?

Anxiety is one of the emotions I got to know or rather learned to identify, not long ago. As I began to acquire more obligations in my life - that is, since finishing university and taking on economic, social, moral, and emotional responsibilities - I also felt that my confusion and despair became more frequent. These triggered in my body and mind a series of sensations that I initially couldn't associate, with and therefore didn't know how to control. Here are some characteristics that will help you more effectively identify anxiety, the emotion of the 21st century.

What are the common symptoms of anxiety?

• Emotional: These include feelings of nervousness, restlessness, or tension. Anxious people often anticipate unfavorable outcomes in uncertain situations.

• Physical: It can manifest with symptoms such as sweating, trembling, tachycardia, dry mouth, dizziness, or stomach discomfort.

• Cognitive: Anxiety can affect how a person thinks, including excessive worries, concentration difficulties, or catastrophic thoughts.

• Behavioral: It can lead to avoiding situations that provoke anxiety, which can limit an individual's personal or professional life.

Many of these characteristics appeared, sometimes several at the same time, all because I'm at that point in life where I reflect and start to measure my age and achievements in a somewhat negative way. If you are going through a similar situation, or even if it’s not the same but you know and understand that you suffer from anxiety, you should know that, like you, many people are going through the same thing, as anxiety can affect us all at some point in our lives. It is so common that it is even mentioned in animated films, and you can find many videos about it on social media.

When I realized that this emotion was more common than I expected, it made it easier to take the first step, that is, to recognize it and analyze what triggered it, which is very important, as this allowed me to learn to manage it and brought me closer to maintaining a calm and balanced mind.

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Anxiety therapy options

That's why today I want to share some of the recommendations I've gathered from the advice my psychologist gave me and that I've discovered during this time, which have allowed me to better manage this emotion.

Breathing Techniques:

In a session with my psychologist, he explained that breathing, during these moments of anxiety crisis, is crucial. He taught me the 4-7-8 technique; it should be noted that this can vary, and each person or professional may manage it differently, but it basically consists of inhaling for 4 seconds, holding that breath for 7 seconds, and finally exhaling for 8 seconds; this technique will allow us to normalize our heart rate.

Maintaining a Healthy Lifestyle:

I know it sounds cliché, but our eating habits and exercise have a direct impact not only on our physical health but also on our emotional health. When we exercise, our body releases hormones responsible for that pleasant feeling, such as dopamine, serotonin, and endorphin.

Meditation:

Years ago, when I was studying at university, I took some yoga classes where I learned to meditate. Currently, it is something essential for me, as with meditation I can connect my mind to the here and now. It also allows me to let go of things I cannot control. It’s important to ensure you find a quiet space, free from noise or situations that might distract you while you learn to focus your mind.

Setting Boundaries and Priorities:

It's important to establish healthy boundaries in personal and professional relationships and to prioritize tasks to avoid feeling overwhelmed. The latter allows me to effectively organize my time so that when I have to fulfill several work commitments, I also find time for myself.

Seeking Social Support:

Talking to friends and family helps us release the burden of carrying our problems alone. Often, we need someone to listen and empathize with our situations, to also understand that by nature we are social beings, and that's for a reason – to seek companionship in certain circumstances. Similarly, if talking to acquaintances about certain situations is difficult for you, you could also find support from psychologists. Personally, for me, it has been much easier to tell my psychologist with complete honesty about my problems and how I feel about certain aspects of my life. It has also changed me because it has helped me be more open and accept that many things, I consider wrong or unique to me are very common, and being so, makes it easier to find a solution.

Avoiding Self-Demand:

In my case, I understood that one of the triggers of my anxiety episodes is excessive self-criticism. Recently, I explained to myself that goals are personal, and there is no standard for everything we must achieve by a certain age. Each person is a different world and therefore we all have different ways of understanding life, and what is important to me may not be for someone else. Some people's goal in life is to travel the world, others to own a house, and others to have a car. That's why I try to set goals that are in line with my priorities and also have a global vision of why sometimes I don’t achieve those goals.