I was doing so good...what happened? Anxiety is funny that way. You can think you've licked it, put it behind you, gotten over it, relieved to have lived through that period of life. And then one day--it's back. "What the heck?" you wonder, but, there it is in all it's glory. I think of it like a path through the jungle that has been worn by travel. As you get anxiety under better control, you quit walking down that path and start hacking away a new path through the jungle with your machete. Over time the jungle starts to grow over the old anxiety path, cover it up, reclaim that path so that's it's hardly visible. But, underneath all the jungle overgrowth, there is still a path there and sometimes, we slip back in to that anxiety rut again. I've concluded that once it's there, it will always be there. But stay with me here. That doesn't mean we have to walk down the path very often. But we do need to respect that it's there and that it's a rut we can more easily slip in to than someone who has never dealt with anxiety. So, knowing that it's there, what do we do to keep our feet on the new path we are creating and not slip in to the old rut of anxiety?
1) Acknowledge the reality. When someone has diabetes, they don't try to hide it or brush it off or live in denial. They just own it. And they respect the new lifestyle they will need to have.
2) Keep your tools sharp. Hacking overgrowth in the jungle requires a sharp machete so that you can carve a new path. Implement the tools that help you manage your anxiety. If that means some yoga, or healthy eating, or mediatation or deep breathing or exercise your counselor gave you or whatever, be sure you're taking the time to do them. Keep your machete sharp to help you make a new path, you'll be less likely to slip in to the old rut.
3) Grow. Keep learning and growing. Just like the jungle reclaims the old path, we can reclaim our healthy mental health by continuing to learn about anxiety and grow in knowledge. Maybe it's a new treatment modality, or a new idea to try or a new medication or a new therapy. Keep trying things to find what works for you. Growing over the old anxiety rut takes time and patience, but it will happen if we just keep learning.
4) No surprises. When anxiety pops back in to our lives, we know what it is. We've been down that path before and we can quickly recognize it for what it is, and all it is. Don't be too alarmed by it, it's just the brain trying to protect us and doing a great job. But, it's not fully informed. There's no tiger chasing us and we can get back on track by not being alarmed that we feel anxiety again.
5) Talk to someone and ask for help. Sometimes we need our support systems to know what we're dealing with--again. Take time to touch, talk, spend time together and tidy up the clutter in our lives. Those each help with getting back on a better path and out of the rut.
Anxiety will ebb and flow. There will be peaks and valleys. Good days and bad days. And that's ok, we know what to do when we find ourselves in anxieties familiar rut. "Hello old friend, nice to see you, but I'm not here to stay." There's not much of a path here anymore anyway! :)
No comments:
Post a Comment