Last update: Augusts 07, 2015
Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.
Mahatma Gandhi
When something important is about to happen (or we want it to happen), anxiety makes itself felt and it is up to us to determine its greater or lesser intensity.
How can you put a stop to this feeling or reaction? With positive thoughts! Do not let anxiety compromise your life, continue to enjoy every moment, your present which, as the name suggests, is also a gift.
Anxiety, that desire to travel into the future
If we could travel with a time machine, how many worries we would save ourselves. This is true, but it is equally true that we would not fully enjoy every moment. Because, in addition to reaching the finish line, what really matters is the time and the path to reach it.
Imagine any goal (getting married, graduating, having a child) as the destination of your choice for your vacation. As soon as you get on the means of transport to get to the finish line (marriage proposal, start studying, get pregnant), we already want to have arrived at the beach, in the mountains or wherever we have chosen to go.
What happens while traveling by train, plane or car? We want it to finish as soon as possible (especially if it's a long trip!). But travel is also part of the holidays.
The organization of the wedding, studying to excel during the exams, a child growing in the womb are all beautiful moments that are worth living fully because they will not come back, or at least not in the same way. Obviously you can remarry, study for other exams or other degrees or have a second child, but it's not the same thing.
If we learned to master anxiety, all journeys would be beautiful, fun and we would experience them fully. When we are anxious or nervous, it is because we have "too many" desires about the future because we are convinced that the present moment, today, is not important, but that it is only the means to reach another goal.
In reality, happiness disappears from our lives when we constantly put it in front of our present.
“I will be happy when I get married. I will be happy when I graduate. I will be happy when the baby is born ”. Why not be happy now as we organize the wedding and the guest list, while we read the notes or go for an ultrasound? Anxiety is a mechanism of the unconscious to prevent any threats.
This means that we think that the present is not what we are looking for, but that it is what will happen tomorrow that matters most. Excess anxiety can lead to chronic illness, in other words, you become anxious all the time, about anything..
Biting your nails, smoking more, eating everything in the fridge, having trouble concentrating at work or studying, not paying attention to what others say or what is going on around you, losing your hair, appearing dark circles and rapid heartbeat are all symptoms of an anxiety problem.
The World Health Organization (WHO) reveals that anxiety, depression and stress will be three essential factors in understanding how diseases develop by 2020. Only cardiovascular problems will be superior, as a matter of frequency and risk. Attention, most will depend on one of the three factors mentioned.
Do not forget that anxiety, depression and stress are not negative in themselves, the problem arises when they are very intense or when they last over time.
Doctors reveal that not all types of anxiety are negative, you have to know how to regulate it, that's all. A low level of anxiety is instead negative for our life because it does not allow us to stay focused on what we do, to have a clear vision of the future, it prevents us from planning anything, we do not have a goal, etc..
How can I manage anxiety?
First, it must be understood that the future will come sooner or later. Secondly, let us remember that what we do today helps us to get closer and closer to the goal of tomorrow. Finally, it is important to fully enjoy every moment of the day.
Do not forget that nothing and no one can give you back the lost time. What's the point of thinking about tomorrow if you haven't enjoyed the present yet?
