And Free Your Mind from Anxiety, Reveals Shivani Sadhoo
We worry about various things at home, at our workspace, within our family, and inside our professional circles and that’s obvious but if your worries and fears have turned constant and interfering with your ability to function and relax – then that’s not correct. You might be at risk of having anxiety disorder that involves constant and chronic worrying, nervousness, and tension. And, anxiety disorder is not just a single issue, it commonly triggers various emotional and physical issues like – hypertension, heart issue, depression, ulcers, etc.
Eminent psychologist and couple’s therapist, Shivani Misri Sadhoo warns that one must try to be careful if they tend to worry about too many things. She adds worry and fear can feel overwhelming and have a way of tricking us into believing that all is lost. If one is not careful about what to worry about and what to let go then your worry may start to devour you; i.e. it may turn into a habit without notice.
Psychologist Shivani in this blog shares some cool methods that everyone can try and get themselves free from the circle of constant worrying.
“All IZZ Well” – Place your hand over your heart.
Like the famous character of Amir Khan, “Ranchordas” in the movie 3 idiots has suggested, the moment you are worried, stressed, or fearful, place your hand over your heart, close your eyes but instead saying “all is well”, try to imagine someone you feel completely safe with. It could be your spiritual guru, or your parents, or even your pet. As you remember feeling loved, sit with this feeling for at least 30 seconds. Notice the calm.
The science behind it? During stress and tension, your fight or flight system is activated and your cortisol levels are elevated. Deep breathing causes the vague nerve to signal your nervous system to lower your heart rate, blood pressure, and cortisol. Taking just ten deep breaths can assist with relaxation and provide a sense of calm.
Don’t time leap in futures
If you live as if the future has already happened, you will build a habit to worry about something that hasn’t happened yet. You avoid worrying about the future by practising mindfulness, which is a type of meditation in which you focus on being intensely aware of what you’re sensing and feeling in the moment, without interpretation or judgment.
Practising mindfulness involves breathing methods, guided imagery, and other practices to relax the body and mind and help reduce stress.
Practice self-acceptance
There is a strong link between an unsure sense of self and a tendency to worry about small things. Hence it’s important to try shifting your self-concept from negative to positive or develop self-acceptance. It includes body acceptance, self-protection from negative criticism, and believing in one’s capacities.
Your perception drives your worries
If you think deeply, you will realize worries are largely triggered by perceptions. For instance, if your child has not scored well in past academic years, you may start to worry that he/she will not do well in the upcoming examinations too. When you start to constantly worry, you may start to pile stress on your life, and the outcome from it may soon result in constant criticism, constant judgments, constant expression of distrust for your child – resulting in communication gaps. Instead of worrying about what has not happened yet, focus on knowing what may be causing your child to develop disinterest in studies, is there any issue at school or with classmates or with a teacher, etc.
