Turn Anxiety Into Action

Inactivity and idleness makes anxiety worse. I’ve had that experience myself. There is nothing more painful than simply sitting with your worry and fear and the tension created in your body by anxiety. ⁣
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In the most difficult times of my own life, I have found that movement saved me. Sometimes it has been exercise, sometimes organizing my garage or building something. You could re-frame the feelings of anxiety as a signal that you should be DOING something. Your body is literally giving you sparks of #energy and without somewhere to put that, we sit painfully in the excess. ⁣
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Get busy. Do the work. Get off your bed or couch. Change your emotional state by changing your physical state. Channel the blood flow to your muscles and your mind in the pursuit of some project or task you’ve been avoiding. ⁣
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You may experience a pounding heart, racing thoughts, tension in your muscles or an upset stomach. Do something productive. Direct that energy toward something valuable. ⁣
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One man I worked with was unable to control his anxiety. He was in intensive outpatient therapy and was under the care of a psychiatrist, but none of the meds were effective or had intolerable side effects. The doctor encouraged him to “walk until he is tired.” He ended up walking 25 miles per day. He lost weight, got a sick tan, worked through some of his troubled thoughts, and found some #peace because he was also improving his sleep. ⁣
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Sitting around worrying just doesn’t help. Take the cues from your body to move. ⁣
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Recently I was dealing with some particularly intense anxiety and I began cleaning my house like a freak. I was scrubbing things and sweeping the cobwebs out of the corners of my garage. It worked. While there may be other needs that must be addressed by a professional, see if you can get control of those emotions by using the power of intention and mindfulness to engage in somethingt srenuous.