Jul
Articles, Health & Mental Wellness
All About Anxiety
All About Anxiety
Every single one of us knows the feeling of fearing the future and dwelling in the past. It’s been the human condition for a long time, and if we don’t keep those thoughts in check they can end up consuming our lives.
Anxiety is defined as “a mental health disorder characterised by feelings of worry or fear that are strong enough to interfere with one’s daily activities.” It’s a spectrum – anxiety ranges from a diagnosable disorder to an occasional affliction. No matter how it manifests, there’s not a single person who hasn’t experienced it to some degree.
Anxiety is particularly common in our 20s. It’s a time of transformation and uncertainty, where we move from a comfortable structure that’s been set out for us our whole lives into the vast and unfamiliar territory of adulthood. We now have to create our own structure and forge our life paths, which can be a lot of pressure. This constant fear of the future and feeling of worry around where we’ll end up and what’s wrong in our lives can persist for a long while and is often hard to deal with.
Our culture pushes a narrative of onwards and upwards. It’s easy to feel like we’re only valuable if we’re the perfect girlboss, succeeding in our careers as well as having a full social calendar all the time. This pressure, which is exacerbated by social media, can leave us with no time for self care and can even affect our sleeping patterns. This will inevitably result in an anxious disposition.
Taking time for yourself as well as getting a solid 7-9 hours of sleep per night is essential in managing anxiety. You need to take a moment to step away from your obsessive thoughts or it may get to a point that they will consume you. When we constantly focus on what has or will go wrong, there’s no time to appreciate the beauty of the present!
We live in an era where it’s hard to escape the pressure to be “perfect”, and one where we’re encouraged not to display our anxieties and emotions for fear of not seeming “put together”. Advertising convinces us that we need to buy some or other product to get to where we want to be, and social media tells us that we’re not good enough if we’re not looking like and living that life of edited Instagram models. Whether you’re concerned about your career, your social life, hitting milestones by a certain age or your self image, know that it’s all perfectly normal. You’re not alone in your anxieties, and you shouldn’t be afraid to express them! Bottling it all up will only serve to make it worse.
You are incredible and you’re exactly where you should be right now. If you feel that anxiety is taking over your life, talk to your doctor to see what options you have.
For more mental health resources visit https://www.opencounseling.com/hotlines-za.
rubies let us know in the comments below if any of you have been struggling with anxiety? We are all in this together!
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Am struggling with anxiety, I have acne on my face and that just made me to fear going out in public spaces,my self esteem went to 0, and also am not working and am always thinking about my future,my past.
Wow very interesting article, I dealt with it when I started my new job, being trained from home was really difficult, but when I decided to be assertive and asked alot of questions I found that my anxiety subsided as I was not longer worried about not getting think right, but I was focused on understanding my job which helped. I also made time for sleep so I could be productive
There should be More platforms bringing awareness about Anxiety well done Rubybox you sure touch on all the sensitive issues people don’t usually like to talk about. Mental Health Awareness is important as Anxiety is real and most do not know how to start dealing with it, not everyone understands what Anxiety is and pushes it aside. Oh yes I still experience Anxiety it is not the greatest feeling at all, there are many medications on the market which one could use but your Doctor can prescribe a calming tablet which can assist you in those times when you need it most. I totally believe as the article mentions everyone has experienced Anxiety to some degree and it is not always talked about which is the sad part. Another reminder that 7-9 hours sleep is so important even to manage Anxiety very interesting fact. Time for oneself can really have beneficial effects as well, the quiet, peacefulness, do something which makes you feel good. I agree with all the Rubies that prayer is one of the most important believe it or not, Reading my daily bible word and scriptures really motivates me and gives me the much needed strength to continue everyday. #Thank You Rubybox Loving the tips and looking forward to the next article!☺
We sure do live in an era where it’s hard to escape the pressure that is around us and I often feel overwhelmed by a lot of situations. I have family members that have suffered this and it’s not easy to deal with
Thank you for this amazing article. I have suffered with anxiety from my teens and its gotten worse after becoming a mom. People would often say get over it think about other stuff and the feeling would go away but its not that simple. Some days are better than other. I just take time out for myself and meditate, listen to motivational videos its helps and calms me.
I suffered from anxiety a lot when I was in my early 20s and a university student, psychological therapy helped me a lot. Thank you for the article @Rubybox
Covid – 19 and the uncertainity of job security has left me anxious for over a year wondering and fearing waking up the next day. Lockdown was extremely hard because i know the work i do thrives on gatherings and gatherings werent allowed. worse off my children and my parents are in an entirely different country and i have not seen them since 2019. a lot goes through your mind and the current covid situation does not make it any better
Such an interesting read, anxiety is real and most covid deaths are associated with anxiety attacks,we need to look after our mental health daily
Story of my life it’s so hard to get over anxiety,I’m more worried about my future because my past is haunting me.my mistakes,seeing my age mates making it but I feel like I’m stuck.its jus a lot I’m going through
Thank you for this article. More awareness needs to be created about anxiety. I experienced it in my mid 20s and at the start of covid again while pregnant & giving birth. I think most if not all South Africans are dealing with anxiety during these uncertain times. People are anxious about their health, careers, family falling ill and not being able to be there for them, money matters, etc. So it’s definitely time that awareness is being created and people are educated about how to deal with anxiety.
It’s not just a phase or in your head, anxiety is real and we can overcome it.