Eliminated or at least managing anxiety can be achieved by either
eliminating the source of your anxiety or implementing solutions to
better manage the situation. To better understand stand this let's look
at Bob who is the manager of a retailer that has just been purchased by a
competitor.
Bob loves his job and has been with the same
company for 15 years but recently his anxiety level has gone through the
roof due to a change in store ownership. The new owners haven't decided
whether or not they will be keeping the old management. There is some
talk they want to start with a clean slate. If that is not enough they
have asked Bob to put in an extra 20 hours a week to make sure the
transition is a smooth one. He was already working 60 hours a week now
it is up to 80. This has forced him drink more caffeine laden drinks
just to keep going. With an uncertain future it is difficult for Bob to
deflect his intense feelings of anxiety. End
The basic definition of mild anxiety is a normal
response to stress that resolves when the stress is removed which only
becomes a medical problem requiring treatment if it consistently
interferes with a person's day to day functioning. Certainly our friend
Bob is right on the borderline between moderate anxiety and severe
anxiety requiring some form of medical help.
Treating Anxiety - So what did Bob do?
Bob has never been one to take a problem lying down
and did an internet search for how to treat anxiety and another one for
treating anxiety. What he found out was that he certainly wasn't alone
and that there were many other people just like him suffering from
stress induced situational anxiety. He discovered that people who are
going through a period of anxiety should avoid caffeine, stimulants,
alcohol, or anything else that might alter their moods. He also learned
that there are techniques such as biofeedback, relaxation techniques,
and herbal remedies which can help a person relax in times of stress,
thus deflecting the anxiety. He also ran across an article on a
behavioral therapy called cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) that claimed
to be helpful in developing solutions to treat anxiety.
Bobs action plan: Bob realized that the way he was
coping with the stress brought about by his job uncertainty was
affecting his job performance and decided to take action. He implemented
a plan combining deep breathing exercises, a walk around the shopping
center once a day to clear his thoughts, mindful acceptance of the
possible outcome, and an herbal remedy for anxiety containing Saw
Palmetto and Passionflower. He also reduced his caffeine intake slightly
but felt at this point he had to have the caffeine to keep going.
Conclusion: Today Bob has is back to his old happy
go lucky self. He was able to use the tools above to deflect his anxiety
until the situation passed. The new owners have decided that he is an
asset and could possibly be regional management material. While the
immediate threat has lifted our friend Bob has decided to continue
implementing the step he learned from that internet article titled "How
to Treat Anxiety" so that the next time a stressful situation showed up
on his doorstep he would be ready to attack it head on.
anxiety
