This Just In: Let’s Talk About Anxiety
Three unconventional ways to combat anxiety
I was an anxious kid. Nothing was diagnosed, but I would worry about things outside my control. Nothing in particular, just the possibility of something happening.
My anxiety was manageable for the majority of my life. Then I began working with teenagers. Fifteen years taking kids on trips, some of them overseas, heightened my anxiety, and I finally resorted to taking medication. This was a factor in my decision to step down from that role earlier this year.
In January, I was in a car accident. Carla and I were rear-ended while sitting at a red light. Thanks to coronavirus, I don’t drive much these days. When I do, I anxiously watch my rearview mirror at red lights, wondering if the car coming behind me will stop in time.
These examples are on top of the other, many things that bring on anxiety. Let’s not forget it’s 2020, and just about everything is out of control. Hurricanes. Coronavirus. Elections. It’s a lot.
My anxiety is plagued by things I cannot control. I’m an INTJ, Type One, green, logical thinker. Rationally, I know these things are beyond my control, so there is no sense in worrying. Yet, somewhere deep in the wiring of my brain, there’s a voice that says, “ You don’t know what you’re talking…
