Living with fear and anxiety

Do we always fear the unknown and become petrified that we’re judged by our fear and anxiousness? It’s time for us to educate ourselves, in order to understand what is causing these negative thoughts that are triggering our anxieties.

Everyone, at some point in their life, is fearful of the future, whether it’s to do with maintaining a stable relationship, job and promotion prospects, having a secure home, or even being left on one’s own when growing older. However, when your anxiety level or fearfulness becomes such that it conditions your everyday thoughts and beliefs, this will have a deleterious effect on your productivity and ability to develop, leading to a lack motivation that will, in turn, make you an object of concern to those around you (relatives, friends, and colleagues). It's therefore vital that one seeks help to combat those feelings and thoughts.

How do we seek help to combat these negative and intrusive thoughts?

Spend some time reflecting on where we want to be in the here and now - where do you want to go? Do you want to be stuck or move forward; if stuck, do you want to reflect on your inner pain and anguish? Positive thoughts will help you move forward and purge the mind and body of negativity.

Sometimes, we are in a place where we are unable to focus on what is right or wrong, finding it difficult to trust anyone or form a relationship, but you need not feel that way. There are many ways in which one can obtain a level of fulfilment in one’s life. Talking to a professional has a way of uplifting your inner anguish, and just having someone to listen to you without judging, and actually being present and hearing your turmoil, is a powerful and useful intervention to move forward. The journey of life has dips, bumps, and curves in the road, but it is one which everyone has to travel. It’s an experience from which one learns, or benefits as a pathway or reflection of their lives in order to process and progress.

Anxiety can take many forms. You are working towards a promotion or examination in your final year at university; perhaps you have difficulty maintaining a relationship and trouble managing finances. You can be anxious about doing well or achieving the highest grade, allowing doubts to hinder your positive thoughts and creating gaps for fears and anxiety when, if you were simply able to focus on what you need to do, it would be simple and achievable. There is no right or wrong way to achieve your potential to any goal you set in life, but it is about believing in yourself and developing effective coping strategies.

Another aspect of fear and anxiety is entering into a new relationship. If one harbours doubt and hangs onto the previous relationship, and the issues encountered during those periods of stress and turmoil, it will be difficult to start a new relationship while carrying all of this baggage. You need to let go and move forward, which will help you to understand yourself, both as a person and an individual whose life has meaning and the potential for growth and starting over.

You do not have to be a part of a human network crippled with fear and anxiety; you can learn how to overcome the obstacles that block your inner progress or path toward success and achievement. Life is a journey, and each of us has their own individual journey to complete. There are tools and guidelines to help lessen your fear and anxiety so that you will feel equal to navigating even the most fearsome hairpin turns and bumps on the road.

I hope that reading this article has given you an insight into dealing with anxiety and overcoming your fear of the unknown.