Write For You
A lot of things in our day-to-day lives can create feelings of anxiety inside even the strongest of us. I have always found that in times of uncertainty, nothing is better than knowing that you’re not alone, and that there will always be people out there who can sympathize with you and support you.
That’s the kind of blog I want this to be. I’m not going to go so far as to say that I can make you fearless or solve your problems, but I would be very happy if this blog could be a small voice in the back of your mind, reminding you that “you’re not alone!” and “not to give up!” To that end, I would like to discuss some of the fears I have either dealt with or continue to deal with and the methods I have found most effective to fight against them.
The first way I have found to combat my anxiety is to find a source of positive reinforcement in your life. It can be a friend, a hobby, sports, writing, whatever. I found a list of small, feel-good hobbies that may be worth taking into consideration. The important thing is to find something in your life that makes you feel positive and good about yourself.
Writing can be therapeutic and help heal the soul, give a new perspective, and allow for clarity of mind and thought.
I have found the most difficult times in terms of fighting my fears to be when I have isolated or cut myself off from things that I enjoy doing. Negativity breeds in isolation, or so I have found, and keeping myself occupied and busy with things that make me feel confident and good are one of the most effective ways of keeping my anxiety at bay.
I find writing to be very therapeutic. I like to write short stories where the protagonist overcomes some sort of issue that I am facing in my own life. I can only write characters whom have at least a little bit of me in them, and in guiding the protagonist through the conflict in their life and having them emerge triumphant on the other side, I find clarity. Whether you write your problems into a story like I do or simply jot them down, both therapists and myself have found translating thought to paper to be a positive way of fighting anxiety.
Please let me know if this advice has helped you, and feel free to share your own strategies with me!
Photo Credit: Andrew Cahill