Overcoming anxiety

Overcoming anxiety

Anxiety is like rust. To start with, you can’t see it because it’s all below the surface. Therefore initially everything seems fine to the casual onlooker. Then specks begin to show up.

In the beginning, the effects are minor but left untreated rust can quickly spread. Similarly, anxiety can rapidly weaken self-confidence and self-esteem.

Overcoming anxiety is like eliminating the corrosion and decay caused by rust.

Without proper rust protection, most cars are destined for early retirement to the scrap yard!

Equally, without intervention, a person’s anxiety levels can quickly escalate. This can cause unhappiness, reduced prospects, and lack of fulfillment. Therefore overcoming anxiety is vital.

Catch it early

Anxiety often goes unnoticed, just like rust. The skill is to learn how to “spot” it and do something about it before it “spreads”.

Constantly worrying about something is an indication of escalating anxiety! Overcoming anxiety can be as simple as “catching” our destructive thoughts and “re-framing” our thinking toward the positive and constructive.

Teaching children how to defeat anxiety

Overcoming anxiety in childhood is essential because it protects children from low self-esteem and underachievement in adulthood.

Several influences are causing the alarming global spread of anxiety and depression in children, the main two being:

Here’s something you can teach your children today

It’s a simple technique that will help them gain the confidence to start something that, at first, they think they can’t do.

When considering starting something we’ve never done before we may (rightly) be anxious about our ability. However, many of civilisations greatest achievements to-date may have been considered impossible or extremely difficult in the beginning. Yet these accomplishments came into being because someone rolled up their sleeves and got stuck in! Even though they didn’t have all the answers at the outset.

Building confidence in our abilities is a step-by-step process, which means confidence grows with each accomplishment.

The technique is to teach children to congratulate themselves for each achievement, no matter how small. Their perception of their ability to accomplish the task will raise each time they realise they did something well. This is important because it helps them to develop resilience and keep going. The more they focus on what they got right the better their outcome will be!

In contrast, those children who focus on what they got wrong are more likely to convince themselves that they can’t do it and give up.

Overcoming anxiety is about changing self-perceptions. It’s also about building self-confidence and developing the ability to bounce back and keep going.