The immense pressures of modern living have increased anxiety levels for many. Human beings have always had to deal with a great deal of stress, from worrying about where the next meal would be, to finding shelter and avoiding predators, to today’s problems, like paying bills and managing time. Living with anxiety can be crippling, but there are ways to find relief.
You don’t have to suffer at all. There are many treatments options for anxiety, involving anything from self-help, meditation, therapy and even better eating habits which will affect how you feel.
The first step is to admit that you have a problem. Do you incessantly check reports? Do you double and triple or even quadruple check things? Don’t let anxiety run your life, you can quiet these fears and live free from the bonds of this stress.
We feel fear (and in turn, anxiety) because of the limbic ‘fight-or-flight’ system. Anxiety typically presents as a state of mind that consists of physiological, cognitive, and behavioral responses. Pathological anxiety, or a constant state of anxiety, can be triggered when a threat is perceived, often erroneously. Fortunately, treatment options are available, including pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy (Chand, 2017).
Anxiety is a medical condition. If you broke your ankle, would you seek treatment? If your appendix was about to burst, would you undergo surgery? Hopefully, the answer to both is YES. So why would you not try to alleviate your anxiety?
If you are apprehensive about taking medications, yoga and meditation have been shown to decrease anxiety. Neuroscience is now looking for answers in psychotherapy, particularly in mindful-based stress reduction and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Various studies have shown how effective mindfulness-based interventions can be (Khambaty, 2017).
Our anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows, but only empties today of its strengths.
Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Your leadership skills require your peak performance, but is this possible if you are being weighed down with anxiety? Your mental readiness is every bit as important as your physical health. People have no problem spending an hour at the gym, but how long do you spend on your mind?
Just like there are different treatment options for anxiety, there are different types of leadership models. Perhaps it is time to consider a model that focuses on the whole you—not just one aspect of leadership but all aspects of your life. You can take a stand against anxiety and give your employees an environment that is full of creativity and innovation instead of adversity and fear.
Citation:
Chand SP, Whitten RA. Anxiety. [Updated 2017 Nov 27]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2017 Jun-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK470361/. Khambaty, M. Parikh, R. M. (2017). Cultural aspects of anxiety disorders in India. Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience, 19(2), 117–126