Anxiety disorders and a holistic approach

In this day and age, anxiety disorders are one of the most common mental health disorders that plague society. After myriads of research, scientists, through psychiatric medicine, have ameliorated the severity of anxiety disorders. Nonetheless, they do not nip the problem in the bud, but merely symptomatically treat the dreaded emotional and psychological turmoil that comes with such disorders. I am not discrediting the value of psychiatric medicine, as they are crucial for recovery in some cases. However, I believe that it is only when self-introspection and personal growth occur, can one truly rise above and conquer such an illness.

Anxiety and panic are concepts not foreign to us, but are emotions inextricably tied to our human nature. They were vital tools in nascent human civilizations. Hunters upon viewing a threat, became anxious, which subsequently activated their fight or flight responses. This fight or flight response released hormones that increased their physical prowess so as to aid them escape the predator, or hunt the prey. Even today, our fight or flight response is pivotal for situations like running away and protecting ourselves in dangerous situations.

However, people who experience anxiety disorders have a fight or flight response that is sensitive and easily triggered, independent of whether there is a presence of a real threat. Constant anxiety not only elicits palpable and uncomfortable physical sensations, but also surfaces debilitating psychological torture. Rapid uncontrollable heartbeat, dizziness, the sudden sense of impending doom and thoughts that run pell-mell make the experience intolerable. It is no wonder why we avoid anxiety triggers and avoid confronting such unpleasant feelings.

It is very human of us to run away from these thoughts through distractions like drugs and alcohol. The escape provides temporary relief and comfort, giving us the delusion that we are safeguarded against our anxieties. But when the facade fades away, we are left helpless and cower in the face of our imminent fears.

So what should we do?

What we need are easy theoretically, but are extremely hard practically - self awareness and a change of perspective. Self- awareness and change of perspectives are broad umbrella terms that need to be deconstructed to fully comprehend what they mean.

Self-awareness, is realizing that the only way to overcome persistent anxiety is to face the problem head-on. Avoiding such thoughts and suppressing our fear only encourages these negative sentiments to manifest themselves in other detrimental aspects like panic attacks. Firstly, instead of bottling up unpleasant emotions, dealing with them in manageable portions is not only much healthier but significantly less stressful. Handling emotions one feels at the present moment prevents an unwanted accretion, and allows an individual to learn to recognize his or her emotions. This practice albeit a slow and uncomfortable process, is one that is incredibly beneficial in the long run. Finding a suitable outlet, such as a mood journal, a good listening ear, or even a good therapist allows one to courageously stare at the face of uncomfortable emotions and assert that despite them being real, they will pass.

Self- awareness also involves assimilating and wholeheartedly believing that we have control over our life and that we should not blame the circumstances for our downfall. When we surrender ourselves to our circumstances, we are helplessly at the whims and fancies of our surroundings. This results in great anxiety because we are not able to steer the ship of life and we are subjected to erratic unpredictable storms at sea. We are, be it consciously or unconsciously, wallowing in self-pity. Reiterating what I said previously, the journey towards self-awareness is not an easy one. Finding a good outlet for emotional catharsis is very important.

Secondly, we need to move towards a mindset that is more openhearted and curious. When we think of the future, we can approach it from either one of two perspectives. Fear versus curiosity. Famous Danish philosopher and psychologist Soren Kierkegaard once said "Anxiety is the dizziness of freedom". What he meant was that when we think of all the possibilities and choices there are in front of us, we are thrown into disarray, because we can so easily make one wrong move and ruin our future. If we embody this perspective of fear, we view our futures as gloomy, threatening and overall bleak. This results in us staying within our boundaries and even shunning the possibility of a better future. Because our worries are intangible and elusive, whatever we do to avoid and quell these troubles provide no genuine respite, resulting in panic and anxiety. Nevertheless, when we approach our concerns with curiosity, we view the possibilities ahead of us as countless, exciting experiences that will help us grow emotionally and spiritually. Of course that is not to say that the future instantaneously becomes a bed of roses. Just like how every life has its roses, every life also has its thorns. But, when we embody the mindset of inquisitiveness, we are able to view these thorns as learning points and wisdom that help us grow.

Naturally, this is always easier said than done. This is especially so when we are innervated by anxiety, and lack the willpower to take the valiant step forward. Other times, we do not even know what the right step forward should be.

What is most crucial when we face these predicaments is that we must be willing to move forward despite being hindered by our troubles. Many of us fall into the pitfall thinking that we need to solve our emotional turmoils before we can make progress. Ironically, it is only through making progress in spite of these anxieties can we heal from our emotions. When we overcome real setbacks that life hurls down our alleyway, we gain confidence and relish in the joy of beating something that once appeared invincible. This confidence will be brought into our emotional well-being and will gradually restore us into valorous individuals.

The next question then is where do I begin?

Although we would love a simple, linear and one size fit all approach, in reality that is not the case. People who suffer from anxiety disorders are afflicted by a wide spectrum of sub-disorders, be it generalized anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder etc. Even people who suffer from identical disorders do not invariably share the same fears, triggers and history. According to famous psychologist Carl Jung, we know our own natures the best, and the path we take needs to be acquired by ourselves. This is where self-awareness and curiosity complement each other to propel us into the future with the right tools to live life to the fullest not shackled by fears controlling us. When we are aware of how we feel, have confidence and are curious, we can experiment and work towards what is best for us.

I do understand that this may be incredibly difficult to achieve. After all, we might constantly be surrounded by our abusers and have unresolved past traumas and other roadblocks. Sometimes, our cases may be severe and require medicinal intervention. Even so, practicing aforementioned habits is key to complete recovery. The road to recovery is undeniably obscure, unlit and steep. But it would be worse to remain stagnant and live an unfulfilled anxiety ridden life. Using this neurosis and channeling the energy towards self-improvement and growth may just prove to us that suffering from anxiety disorders may not actually be a curse.