Stillness and Anxiety

By: Asma Shums,
The slow days and falling leaves are a reminder from nature about slowing down and taking a deep breath before it all begins again metaphorically. The temperature drop, lack of social gatherings, and the carrying of baggage from the previous months can significantly influence your motivation. How can we stay motivated when things get difficult and stressful?
Unfortunately, stress is an extremely common part of all of our lives in this modern world. We tend to use the term “stress” or “stressed” to describe many things that could mean busy or uncomfortable. Stress is defined as a state of mental or emotional strain or tension from adverse or very demanding circumstances. It is a feeling or reaction when we are placed in situations that go against our beliefs, comfort, or control. It can also mean responsibilities that we are unable to manage causing us significant strain. Stress can also cause us physical and emotional symptoms such as headaches, upset stomach, mental issues, panic attacks, weight loss/gain, hair loss, hormonal issues, and more. So how do we approach our stress in these quiet months to reduce it?
The first step is identifying the type of stress you are experiencing. There are four major types of stress – time, anticipatory stress, situational stress, and encounter stress. Time stress is when we constantly worry about a lack of time while anticipatory stress is about upcoming event or task that is causing you concern. The third type, situational stress, is when you feel like you aren’t in control while encounter stress is when you are dealing with a toxic or difficult person that causes you distress. Identifying the type of stress will let you make changes that will make a difference in managing your stress.
Find and lean on your support group. This can mean reaching out to friends, families, and even coworkers to blow off some steam. It’s natural to need to remove pent up frustration as it can seem like you are filled to the brim with negative feelings. By using your support system, you allow those unpleasant feelings to leave and make room for your mind to strategize the next steps to rectify it. Sometimes as we get used to prolonged stress, we forget to have fun and loose perspective on whether certain things deserve our attention.
Keep track of your progress. If dealing with stress has caused you to loose your appetite, gain weight, memory loss, social withdrawal, or increased sickness, keeping a track of changes can tell you if your tactics have been working. It might mean changing your approach to incorporate more strict boundaries, schedule more time off, or deal with areas of your life that need attention.
Follow your passion. We can use this time to reflect on the things that cause us discomfort and the ones that do. Maybe this is the time to focus on the things that bring us joy and how little we spend our time doing those things. The fast-paced nature of life these days can turn us into very different versions of our ideal self as our attention is divided and demanded by many external forces.
Email: asmashums@gmail.com