Thank you for asking such a fascinating question. May I share the following ideas and interventions:
Space Out Your Life Events
First, many people feel anxious when they get overwhelmed by the amount of stress that they face. Oftentimes, stress from work, family, or relationship causes them to feel anxious.
So wherever possible, it will good to space out the life events and learn to manage the stress or challenges, one at a time.
This would mean that one would need to constantly reassess one's priorities and the urgencies of the tasks at hand.
Manage Your Thoughts
Second, many people are anxious because of the thoughts that appear in their minds.
They either
- Over-estimate the dangers or the threats in their life,
- Under-estimate their ability to cope.
For example, a student may feel anxious as he thinks that the exam paper will be too difficult. After the exam, he realises that the questions were not difficult at all.
So if we can have a more realistic and accurate appraisal of the pending stressful event, then we will not be so anxious.
Confronting Our Fears
We have to learn how to confront our feared situations.
I have a patient who became fearful of using the road after he was injured in a road traffic accident. He started avoiding the roads but that interferes with his work and his ability to lead a normal life.
Instead, I taught him relaxation techniques and instill in him the confidence to overcome his fears so that he can lead a normal life again.
