We all know we should not worry. We have seen far too many posters, mugs, magnets, and t-shirts with the stoic letters “Keep calm and carry on.” Despite our awareness, however, we almost all worry.
Anxiety is a vicious, powerful monster. Some of us have been close enough to feel its breath, and some of us toy with it, waking it when we have no business doing so. Worrying does not actually help. Again, all of us know this at least on the surface, but I do not think I could write about stress without saying it. We often worry about events that we cannot change. Even more frequently, we imagine scenarios that will never happen.
Any of us who have been in college know how productive the last panicked two hours before a big project is due can be. I would argue this productivity does not come from stress. It comes from adrenaline. Stress is not a stimulant; it is an immobilizer. As an immobilizer, anxiety takes a physical toll on the body. It can lead to fatigue, headaches, shortness of breath, an accelerated heart rate, and muscle aches. It disrupts sleep patterns and causes irritability.
Unfortunately, we cannot simply switch off the anxious parts of our brain, but little by little, we can train ourselves to put our worries in perspective. Many times the problems we worry about are not worth the agony we put ourselves through. We especially should avoid worrying about circumstances that we cannot change and the negative predictions of the future that we feed ourselves.
To ease worries, I like to ask myself: How much is actually at stake? What is the absolute worse case scenario? How much will this matter after five years? While the answers to these questions may not always be comforting, they usually help me weed out some unnecessary worries.
Another way to deal with anxiety is to accept that you cannot do everything, and to release the things you cannot change. For example, if you sleep late and lose your chance to study before a test, you cannot go back in time and change what happened. Your only choice at that point is to continue and take the test to the best of your abilities.
Finally, learn to take a break. I try to find some time to sit away from my computer, phone, or any other reminders of my stressful schedule. Find something that calms you down and devote 15 to 20 minutes to it. Maybe you enjoy sitting and drinking tea. Maybe you like to paint your nails or read a book. Maybe browsing the internet relaxes you. Taking just a little time to yourself can help you relax and be even more productive afterwards.
I want to make sure these tips do not make you feel anxious about your anxiety. C. S. Lewis insisted that anxieties are afflictions, not sins. Guilt only encourages anxiety. As long as we are human, we will sometimes worry, but please know that many of these worries are not worth the energy that we put into them.
