Falling off the Wagon
It's a bit early for me to be neglecting this blog already, but I felt the old procrastination bug chewing on my brain this past week. I must be vigilant! At any rate, I'm not going to beat myself up over it. The only direction we can go is forward no matter how well we stick to our plans, right? With that in mind, I feel like it's a good time to offer a few good explanations of just why I'm trying to kick nasty old anxiety's strangle hold on me to the curb.
Anxiety is one of those things that is easy to discount at a glance. Every living person has some level of anxiety going on in his or her life, but for many of us it becomes such a huge influence over our every day comings and goings that it seems impossible to surmount. It's one of the reasons why so many people just "put up" with their suffering. After all, we know that everyone has troubles. Therefore, why should we bother anyone with our issues? Why is our pain and suffering any more important than what someone else is going through?
But that's the problem. We don't talk about it. We don't ask for help because we are so worried that someone will judge us, or that they will tell us to quit whining and join the suffering masses in silence. If anything, I've realized that this will never be a way to overcome anxiety. It's the one fear that we all have to face to loosen the vice like grip that anxiety puts on us. We must break through the stigma that mental illness is abnormal. In fact, I don't mind saying that I hate the phrase "mental illness".
Though that may be the medical classification for emotional an biological psychological disorders, the negative connotation does so little to aid those who are plagued by them. I don't like to think of myself as ill. I prefer to think of my issues as an impediment that can potentially be overcome or made less significant with effort. Perhaps I'll change my mind with more research, but for now, I'll avoid using that particular terminology.
Sorry for that tangent, but perhaps that sheds a little more insight on why people with these issues tend to avoid seeking help from medical professionals or from loved ones in the first place. On the one hand, we know that we have a problem, but we also don't want to be judged for it. In some cases, admitting that we are suffering is an concession to some perceived weakness that we dare not acknowledge. It's a stupid and vicious cycle.
Even writing about this now makes me feel tired and annoyed at how often I've let my own fears and doubts keep me from doing things that could have helped me, or things that could have prevented subsequent stress. Anxiety is one of those cumulative mental toxins that compounds on itself if left unchecked for any period of time. It could arise from a simple act of procrastination about paying a bill which then leads to avoiding the payment of another because you spent too much money on takeout food during the week for example. Been there, still do that.
I know it's cliche, but the sooner we admit that we have a problem, the sooner we can start to work toward overcoming some of the mental blocks that keep our anxiety in the driver's seat. I hope that I'll be able to gain better mastery of my thoughts some day so that I can better cope with my own anxiety even though I don't predict that I'll ever be completely free from it. Nevertheless, this is one step that I'm taking toward that end, and I hope that those reading this will join me.
Anxiety is one of those things that is easy to discount at a glance. Every living person has some level of anxiety going on in his or her life, but for many of us it becomes such a huge influence over our every day comings and goings that it seems impossible to surmount. It's one of the reasons why so many people just "put up" with their suffering. After all, we know that everyone has troubles. Therefore, why should we bother anyone with our issues? Why is our pain and suffering any more important than what someone else is going through?
But that's the problem. We don't talk about it. We don't ask for help because we are so worried that someone will judge us, or that they will tell us to quit whining and join the suffering masses in silence. If anything, I've realized that this will never be a way to overcome anxiety. It's the one fear that we all have to face to loosen the vice like grip that anxiety puts on us. We must break through the stigma that mental illness is abnormal. In fact, I don't mind saying that I hate the phrase "mental illness".
Though that may be the medical classification for emotional an biological psychological disorders, the negative connotation does so little to aid those who are plagued by them. I don't like to think of myself as ill. I prefer to think of my issues as an impediment that can potentially be overcome or made less significant with effort. Perhaps I'll change my mind with more research, but for now, I'll avoid using that particular terminology.
Sorry for that tangent, but perhaps that sheds a little more insight on why people with these issues tend to avoid seeking help from medical professionals or from loved ones in the first place. On the one hand, we know that we have a problem, but we also don't want to be judged for it. In some cases, admitting that we are suffering is an concession to some perceived weakness that we dare not acknowledge. It's a stupid and vicious cycle.
Even writing about this now makes me feel tired and annoyed at how often I've let my own fears and doubts keep me from doing things that could have helped me, or things that could have prevented subsequent stress. Anxiety is one of those cumulative mental toxins that compounds on itself if left unchecked for any period of time. It could arise from a simple act of procrastination about paying a bill which then leads to avoiding the payment of another because you spent too much money on takeout food during the week for example. Been there, still do that.
I know it's cliche, but the sooner we admit that we have a problem, the sooner we can start to work toward overcoming some of the mental blocks that keep our anxiety in the driver's seat. I hope that I'll be able to gain better mastery of my thoughts some day so that I can better cope with my own anxiety even though I don't predict that I'll ever be completely free from it. Nevertheless, this is one step that I'm taking toward that end, and I hope that those reading this will join me.
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