You may wonder what the best way is to avoid feeling buried in anxiety as we continue to navigate life in a pandemic. Consider implementing curiosity and kindness into your life!
Remember, anxiety can arise when faced with fear or worry about the unknown. When we are apprehensive about what the short- or long-term future holds, our bodies can respond to the stress by becoming anxious. Of course, fear can be useful in keeping us on our toes and forcing us to craft a plan of action; but high levels of fear can be debilitating. More often than not, the fear is unnecessary, as things often do not play out in the way we expect them to. How can we turn our brains “off” when they want to ruminate on all of the worst-case scenarios? How can we take a more hopeful approach?
Focus on being curious, to help diminish the anxiety about the unknown. If you’re curious about something, it means you seek to be aware of all possibilities, without judgement. On the flip side, anxiety usually focuses on the negative aspects of the future. Curiosity is a helpful approach that allows us to gather information while bouncing around ideas. Anxiety, by contrast, can shoot us straight into a black hole of uncertainty and worry that can become insurmountable.
Curiosity can be used to unwind anxiety because it allows you to focus on “what” and “why,” without worrying about “how.” By simply trying to understand the situation, we can think of clear solutions and outcomes. When we become anxious, we tend to become overwhelmed by the situation and unable to step back from the problem. The Wall Street Journal gives some sound advice at how to embrace curiosity:
“Start by being curious about what the anxiety feels like in your body. Ask yourself if there is actual danger at the moment. If there is, you need to address it, of course. But if there is not, you can recognize the anxiety.”
Get that? If the danger is not present, reinforce that your anxiety can be overcome!
It’s important to be aware of your body and how it is physically reacting. Do you notice that you’re clenching your jaw? Maybe your shoulders become rigid, and you’re no longer relaxed? Notice how your body changes, and practice releasing that stress when your body tries to tense up. If you practice yoga, you may have used these techniques, where you control your breathing to release the tension built up in your jaw and shoulders. Any form of relief is helpful.
Now that we’ve covered curiosity, let us delve into kindness.
Acts of kindness can be both external and internal. Simple acts of generosity to others can help us feel good about ourselves and situations we find ourselves in, easing any worry that may try to overtake us. On the flip side, you should be aware and open when someone is acting kindly to you, too. Pay attention to how this makes you feel; you will likely feel gratitude that someone took the time to add positivity to your day.
Practice being kind to yourself. Try placing your hand on your heart or giving yourself a hug when you feel that you need additional reassurance or healing. Stop asking yourself, “Why am I being foolish?” or “What’s wrong with me?” when things get hard. Instead, offer support to yourself by saying, “I’m going to get through this!” or “I dealt with that really well.”
Worry and dread can be subdued when we embrace our curiosity and kinder selves. It may take a few tries to fully integrate this behavior into your daily life. But once it becomes a habit, you’ll find it easier and easier to push out the anxiety and turn on the curiosity and kindess!