Anxiety: This won’t “work”

According to independent research, 44.9 million Indian adults are diagnosed with anxiety which makes a shocking (41.2-2-48.9) % of all the people in need of help for mental health. The scenario described above is worsened by the outbreak of Covid19 as lockdown has made life more challenging for us in one way or another.

The condition of urban Indians is far more pathetic as pay cuts, layoffs, and imposed leaves without pay have made their finances go haywire. In addition to all the above factors, confinement has reduced the normal body metabolism, so feeling bloated, lazy, or feverish is now taking a toll on our bodies.

Those working from home face an entirely different struggle to maintain a work-life balance and cope with the unending domestic and official chores.

What makes work from home more challenging? Work from home is becoming the new trend for millions of workforce across the globe, but the realm is not as rosy as it seemed and comes packed with its challenges.

• Most people are doing it for the first time, and they don’t have any such set-up that can aid them in their tasks.
• They have to work amidst the chaos of children playing or mugging up their lessons in the background, the noise of a grinder, or the chatter of their family (where the entire family lives in a tiny apartment).
• Maintaining calm as well as the focus is becoming a battle.

So it is “normal” to feel low or irritated or feel like running away from your life. Still, if you feel this at a stretch or even the news of Covid19 reaching your neighborhood colony is making you go crazy with panic, you must pause for a moment to ponder.

Are the things that wrong, or are you just making them up in your mind?

Yes! Most of the time, people suffering from anxiety are prone to “overthinking and over-analyzing.” Are you one of them? Answer the following honestly-

• Are you unhappy with your job/family/relationship?
• Do you worry a lot about being the next Covid19 victim?
• Are you worried about getting laid off?
• Have you lost your employment, or is your business not showing profits lately?
• Do you keep on comparing yourself with others?
• Do you feel pressed with the workload?
• Do you say NO?
• Do you often feel stiffness in the neck or other body parts?

Are you “anxious”?

If most of the answers you chose are “YAY,” then you can be a potential anxiety disorder victim.

Anxiety disorder is a mental condition where a person tends to panic about what they cannot control. The sufferer develops extreme fears & worries about trivial things like missing a bus to work. Sometimes they get frequent panic attacks.

How to identify it?

The first and most significant character of an anxiety disorder victim is EXTREME WORRY. They feel perpetually worried, and the reasons could be real or unreal too. It is followed by other symptoms like abnormal anger or apprehension, loss of motivation, & constant unknown fear is some other indicators.

On the physical side, stiffness in the neck, or shaking of hands, loss of appetite, or abnormal increase in the diet, which leads to weight loss or weight gain, can hint at anxiety disorder.

Peer pressure: leads to anxiety?

The most common cause of anxiety is PEER PRESSURE which paves the path for “overthinking.” Usually, this starts with feeling low & dejected. Being unable to cope with peer pressure and constant comparison with others makes us focus more on our failures and shortcomings. It ignites our brain to believe that we’re NOT successful. Focusing on failure makes people unhappy & paranoid about the tiniest things, which you may think can cause FAILURE.

Is the workload too much?

The workload is one of the chief causes of anxiety-related disorders. Unfortunately, Covid19 has given people much more workload than ever before. Battling both domestic and official chores have become a routine for many professionals.

How to change yourself?

Now a day everyone assumes being happy & prosperous is the same thing. But what is true success? We forget that happiness and success are both inside jobs instead of taking the social norms as a parameter of success.

We need to change this thought process. Being successful is not being happy but being happy is successful. We need to understand that feeling low is part of life, and we MUST learn to deal with it. Try these things to beat the Covid19 blues:-

• Don’t compare your pay cuts with other employees; be happy to receive whatever you have.
• Don’t feel useless if your start-up doesn’t take off. Remember, the first steps are the hardest ones.
• Don’t feel depressed if you’re stuck outside your native land; remember this phase will pass too.

If you are constantly bogged down by anxiety or the fear of unforeseen circumstances, then you can utilize these tips to overcome your insecurity.

Tips to overcome anxiety

• Don’t sit idle. Keep engaging yourself in some activity like- taking your pet for a walk, watching TV, or reading.
• Share your anxiety or sadness with your near and dear ones rather than shunning yourself from society.
• Try to develop a creative hobby like cooking or sketching, or even writing. Being creative makes us feel happier as it releases dopamine, the hormone responsible for happiness.
• Exercise regularly, dress up nicely & practice breathing exercises. It will calm your mind & help you to build self-esteem.
• If you are burning out with excessive responsibilities, train your mindfulness to focus on single tasks. It will help you to work more efficiently.

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