Pathwalking 221
Lately I have been experiencing a lot of anxiety.
This is not a regular sensation for me, I don’t get anxious easily. But I am well aware that anxiety, as a disguise for fear, gets in the way of Pathwalking.
So what am I feeling anxious about?
The first step in dealing with anxiety is identifying it. I know that there are several things giving me anxiety, some of which I can deal with directly, some less so.
Current anxiety producing things that are something I can deal with directly: my finances, my fitness, my productivity, my time management.
Every one of these is directly within my control to be dealt with. Some more, some less, but nonetheless I can take actions to handle these causes of anxiety.
Finances – looking for a new job. Working on promoting and increasing sales of my published works. Refocusing my attention away from the fear aspect of having insufficient finances to pay my bills and instead envisioning abundance. Money and fear do not go together, so this is something I REALLY need to change my focus on.
Oh great, this hooky-spooky bs. I don’t believe so. If, as I frequently postulate, consciousness creates reality, then if I am focusing on lack and letting the fear of consequences from that overwhelm my reason – which is where anxiety comes from, frankly – then guess what I am creating more of?
And really, even if I am wrong about what I believe, building fear and anxiety does not help with any actions I want or even need to take. I can control how I feel, why do I want to feel anxious? Simpel answer – I don’t.
My fitness – I am trying to change my diet, and increase my exercise. I need to not let my fear and anxiety lead to stress eating, or loafing on the couch or any other excuses that keep me from getting into better shape. Anxiety about my fitness gets in the way of doing something to improve it.
My productivity – I need to not distract myself from job hunting and writing and seeking means to promote and better sell my work. I need to also not become anxious if I fail to meet self-imposed quotas. This goes to my fitness at well, frankly. Productivity or a lack thereof is wholly in my wheelhouse to be dealt with. And hand-in-hand with that matter…
My time management – I get up somewhere between 6:30 and 7:30am every morning. I putz around online, play some games on Facebook. I make my coffee, I start to consider what I need to do. I cannot tell you how frequently it’s 10am and I get flustered that my morning is almost gone. Time gets away from me, I do not manage it to my greatest advantage, and then I get anxious because my intent for the day slips or I don’t complete the things I want and need to get done.
All of these are in my direct control to deal with. I can choose to work with the anxiety, which is actually fear, that this is causing me. I can take steps using any number of tools to overcome this and take better care of myself.
Now what about the things outside of my control that are making me anxious?
This is bit more complex. There are two categories for this – the things I CAN identify, and the things I can’t. The former is pretty easy, and I know I am very much not alone when it comes to anxiety about horrid business practices, government, the insane national election, world terrorism and the effects it causes, racism, hatred, bigotry, misogyny – I can go on and on here. I don’t even watch network news or read deep beyond headlines much anymore because I know how these things make me feel, and I don’t want that anxiousness.
The latter, however, it particularly hard to deal with. What about that anxiety you just can’t put your finger on? We’ve all sensed it, we’ve all experienced it…that sense of dread. The heaviness in our hearts. That sinking feeling. Try as you might, there is no obvious cause, you just feel anxious.
Well, what can you do about this stuff outside of your direct control?
This is where you need to take actions that will change how you are feeling. Might need to meditate, write out an angry note, write out a hopeful blog post, go for a run, watch something funny, put on music, chat with a friend, scream, skip rocks off a lake…whatever it takes to release the anxiety, the fear.
Yes, this is easier said than done. What works this time might not work next time. First attempt to take an action to release anxiety may fail and require a different attempt. You may need a combo of things. You might need therapy, you might even need to take an SSRI.
The important thing in all of this is not letting your anxiety and the fear it’s hiding overwhelm you. You need to find a way to get ahold of it, you need to work on actions to change how you are feeling. You need to alter your focus on what you are thinking about.
I struggle with this. But I know I am not alone in this matter. And neither are you. Together, we can overcome fear and anxiety, and we can live the life of abundance and contentment and joy that is our right to have. This is not an entitled statement, this is the nature of a universe where consciousness creates reality. I believe this to be true, I’ve proven it before…I just have to work with, instead of against, the anxiety and release it to make room for better feelings.
How do you cope with anxiety?
GOAL LOG – Week 11:
Diet: Still tracking my intake, and looking to cut back my carbs and sugars. So much easier said than done.
Exercise: Fencing happened, but I never got to the gym. I did spend a day chasing a toddler around. I have begun to make use of the Fitbit I was gifted by my wife and joined a group tracking steps to a goal.
Writing: Five days of writing. Figured out the plot for the sci-fi novel I’ve been working on. Yes, now you know that I write stories without a complete plot as they come to me.
Meditation: I spent at least 5 minutes meditating four days last week. I am getting better at taking the time for myself to do this, now I just need my cat to stop helping.
This is taking shape as a helpful tool.
This is the two-hundred twenty first entry in my series. These weekly posts are ideas and my personal experiences in walking along the path of life. I share this journey as part of my personal desire to make a difference in this world along the way.
Thank you for joining me. Feel free to re-blog and share.
The first year of Pathwalking, including some expanded ideas, is available here.
If you enjoy Pathwalking, you may also want to read my Five Easy Steps to Change the World for the Better.
Follow me here!
