Keys to living an anxiety-free life

We all worry at some point in our lives, however, excessive and disproportional worry can be disruptive in our lives.Worry is excessive and disproportional when it causes in a person constant preocupation over events or situations that should not necessarly provoke a second thought or meditation.For example, your boss looks for you while you briefly left your post and on hearing the message on your return, you break into a nervous sweat thinking that your boss will automatically fire,is definitely unreasonable.This example is very simplified of course and does not take into account unethical practices or unlawful dismissals in many parts of the world today.A simple check is asking oneself the question,will my worrying about this situation make it better,solve the problem or grow back my fading hairline?Worry is like a rocking chair, it keeps one busy, but takes them nowhere! Above all, worry can be a serious health risk affecting our heart rythm and pulse,metabolism and general health.According to scientists anxiety disorders can be hereditary,or can originate from brain chemistry or can be caused by environmental or external factors. It is important to know and identify the source of anxiety in a person in order to treat it appropiately.In this article,easy and practical methods to combat anxiety will be laid out.However,please note that consulting professional help is the first step in order to effectively deal with anxety.

1. Learn to relax.The same way we have learnt to worry,obsess and beat ourselves up about things that happen to us and around us is the very same way that we need to unlearn this unhealthy trait and re-learn healthy and sustainable habits like relaxing.Alvin Toffler,an American science fiction writer, hit the nail on the head when he said that: “The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.”
2. Sleep sufficiently.Sleep is not overrated.In Shakespeare's Macbeth sleep is described as " Sleep that knits up the ravelled sleeve of care, the death of each day's life, sore labour’s bath, balm of hurt minds, great nature's second course, chief nourisher in life's feast."This quote is still not outdated today and it wholeheatedly embodies the notion that sleep heals us, comforts us,soothes us and revitalises us.Sleep enough and your body will thank you for it.On average a person must get about 8 hours of eye-shut and delta wave or deep sleep time.
3. Avoid stimulants.There are all types of stimulants we like to take in order to get that extra edge whether we are going to be attending conferences,or have to stay up to study for exams and so on.Stimulants come in the form of drugs,caffeine drinks,alcohol and tabacco.Drinks like Red Bull have been linked to stroke risks as can be read here and require consumption in moderation and should never be mixed with alcohol.
4. Organise yourself.This point seems obvious,however we can avoid panic,worry,frustrations and eruptions into tempestous arguments by organising ourselves well.Organising oneself means planning activities ahead of time and allowing room for suprises.What we call Murphy's Rule might be a simple case of disorganization.For example the trafic lights did not all,decide to turn red on your way to the bank the day you made your way to the bank 20 minutes before closure.Wouldn't this also liberate us from a sensation of misfortune?The world is not against you!Get organised and the world will smile with you.This could be choosing the right times to avoid traffic,or the days to go shopping or having the schedule of school and parents events on the fridge.
5. Prioritise.There are two quotes,used here, which can help us understand priorities in our lives clearly. Firstly, its important to realise that whether we have set them or not, we already live according to certain priorities that we have set for ourselves.For example,officially television might not be your priority,but,it most certainly is if you spend hours passing time in front of it.This notion is best represented by this quote from Mahatma Ghandi: "Action expresses priorities."Take time to think about this quote for a moment and ask yourself the question : What am I spending my most time on?".The answer to that question identifies your present priorities in your life,whether you like it or not.The second quote is by Stephen Covey and it goes like this:“The key is not to prioritise what's on your schedule,but to schedule your priorities."Simply said,dont let plans happen to you rather be disciplined enough to choose and decide what you want to do with your day,afternoon,weekend or holiday.This way of thinking and attitude of living really empowersus to have more free time to spend and enjoy it the way we choose.