I have been experiencing a strange feeling lately, like if something wrong is about to happen. I am going about my daily routine, minding my own business, when I suddenly feel an ache in my chest, get depressed, and feel the desire to cry.
I have ignored that feeling for a few days but it is just that with every day that goes away I become more unhappy and anxious, not knowing what terrible event is going to happen.
I thought that this is getting out of hand, and I need to talk to someone about it. Just as I was ready to tell my friend about it, she informed me that she was feeling the same way, and that she, too, gets depressed for no obvious reason.
Then I considered informing my mother, and the strange thing is that she was just as unhappy as I was. She seemed depressed as well, but when I inquired as to why, she replied that she believes something awful is about to happen as well. Now, I’m not sure why this sensation is shared by these women in my life, or if we’re all simply too anxious for this life, but I trust my intuition, and I feel like I have no power over what will happen.
Ways to cope and stop the chronic worrying
Identify your main worry – and then, write it down so you can see it. Most of the time, we just disregard our ‘minor’ concerns and go about our daily lives without giving them much thought. If it hurts you and takes up a lot of space in your thoughts, you should take care of it. Take a scratch, for example. Since you know it’s painful, you disinfect it and apply a bandage to avoid infection. If not treated immediately, life scratches can lead to severe infections too.
Wipe them away – If you’ve already been through the first phase and identified the bad feeling, and arrived at the conclusion that it’s nothing serious, just wipe them away. Think of these thoughts like clouds in the sky: just passing your mind like clouds pass across the sky, obscuring the sun.
Face reality and be brave – Hiding behind worries and allowing anxiety to invade your life is not the solution. If there is something you can do about it, do it. Perhaps it’s time to move closer to the things that make you uncomfortable and find out that they’re not as disagreeable as you imagined.
Relax – Instead of allowing your unreal anxieties to dictate your life, do something you love doing. Read a book, go for a walk in the park, draw, talk to a friend, or pray/ meditate.
Exercise – It has been proven that aerobic activity reduces stress hormones, provides you strength, and enables you to cope better with negative emotions.
Most importantly, if you’re like me and have others around you who are experiencing the same negative emotions and feelings as you, understand your feelings and then help them as well. This may appear to be an extra task, but once you’ve dealt with your difficulties, focusing on someone else’s may offer you a feeling of purpose and can chase the blues away.
And if the inevitable happens, as Charles Jones once said, things don’t go wrong and break your heart so you can become bitter and give up. They happen to break you down and build you up so you can be all that you were intended to be.
(Image Source – Unsplash, Toni Reed)