I can’t remember my past… or maybe I do: A collection of hazy memories, with a few remarkable moments sparkling from the surrounding dust.

However, the future seems to be ringing a bell in my head all the time, I can hardly concentrate.

Anxiety! Anxiety!! Anxiety!!!

I can hardly read these days, I seem to be running even in my thoughts. Running where? I wonder… to the future yet unknown or the future I have created in my ever anxious mind?

– Reflections of an anxious mind

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The 21st century man and woman are anxious creatures. The accumulation of information over the years (centuries) coupled with its ever growing availability and accessibility via the internet and social media has made man an information animal, consuming hungrily with an insatiable appetite.

“Peace of mind” has become a rare “commodity”, too expensive for many to afford. We claim to do all we do to acquire that priceless state yet all we do only takes us further away from it. We have become slaves to our ever-growing desires and aspirations.

Anxiety has become our life companion yet in our walk or run with anxiety, many have met their untimely deaths, many have been sent to an early grave unprepared and even more pathetic, unfulfilled.

WHAT MAKES US ANXIOUS?

– Procrastination

One cannot quantify the number of articles on procrastination available on the internet. Procrastination has remained a hot topic, with articles on tips to overcome procrastination getting more views than others yet many still struggle with it.

Procrastination is one of the leading causes of anxiety among us. We run away from tasks we do not like, we settle for instant gratification while the truly important tasks are left undone. We forget that wishing our responsibilities away would definitely not make them disappear.

This eventually leads to anxiety when the delayed tasks or responsibilities accumulate and becomes too heavy a burden to bear.

The solution here is simply getting things done in the appropriate time so we can have more time to breathe and possibly relax before the next task shows up.

– Having More on Our Plate Than We Can Handle

Many times we find ourselves in helpless situations where by there’s just so much we are responsible for, life seems to throw a lot in our way and we feel we have no choice but to accept these responsibilities and then we stay struggling to meet them.

We therefore, end up with too many commitments and responsibilities than we can handle, thereby inviting anxiety into our precious minds.

To get out of situations like this, one needs discipline and courage to say NO to activities and tasks that are unimportant, delegate where necessary and filter responsibilities, discard irrelevant ones that take up time and focus only on the ones that matter.

– Envy & Greed

“A man or woman in whose mind lives envy and greed shall never know rest.”

– Mind Convos

For as long as you live, there would always be someone richer, prettier/more good-looking, smarter, more fortunate or more successful than you are and let’s be frank here, your close friends, colleagues and family members would definitely be on that list.

You know the feeling when someone close to you is celebrating an achievement and you can’t even be happy for them with all your heart because somewhere in your mind you’re busy comparing yourself to them, you’re busy questioning why or when you will have your own breakthrough or achievement. Yeah, that’s a typical case of envy.

Envy, just like greed is one of the major causes of anxiety among us because once that friend’s celebration of achievement is over, you go back to your own world with high level of anxiety, you begin to press certain buttons or make certain moves to ensure that you are not left behind, you end up making rash decisions that lead to nowhere else but failure taking you even further behind than you ever were.

Envy is one feeling that can creep into our thoughts with or without our permission. Therefore, practicing self-awareness becomes an essential habit to cultivate so as to identify and arrest that evil feeling whenever it shows up and then send it right out the door of our mind as quickly as possible.

– High Expectations from Family, Friends & the Society

We all love the support and encouragement friends, family and the society provide. In fact, many have attributed their success or greatness in life to the love and support they received from their friends and family.

However, sometimes, what seems to be love and support becomes a leading cause of anxiety to the recipient.

We all want the best for our loved ones and they want the same for us. In an effort to encourage us, however, some friends and families tend to ask a lot of questions and show excessive concern about our progress so far and when things are not going the way we really want, when things are really difficult and challenging (especially for those pursuing their dreams and aspirations), it becomes a burden to convey such recurrent replies to our loved ones.

Some even begin to avoid family functions all because of that aunt or uncle that keeps asking “so what have you been up to? Have you finally been promoted? So when are you getting married? When are you having kids?”

So what do we do? Stay running? No. Let your friends and family show their love and concern for you. However, make it known to them (as calmly but firmly as possible) whenever you are feeling under pressure as a result. If they truly care about your well being, they would try to cut down on the excessive show of love and attention and focus instead on helping you grow and be better.

– Fear of Past Failures

“Show me a successful man and I’d show you a man who has failed uncountable times but never gave up.”

– Mind Convos

No one is immune to failure. It is in fact a necessary experience for one who wants to achieve success however most are afraid of it.

Some label failure as the end of the road and are therefore unable to move beyond their dis-empowering beliefs to achieve greatness. When faced with a similar opportunity as that which was lost, they become ridden with fear and anxiety and as a result, are unable to focus and give their best shot.

We all want a future way better than our past. No one wants to live the rest of their lives counting on lost treasures. However, there can be no future without the present. Therefore, we need to:

• Get past the anxiety or fear of whatever failures we have had in the past
• Constructively analyse the causes of those failures
• Seek for ways to improve tremendously on ourselves
• Take on new challenges and…
• Explore further, the opportunities that abound in life.

 Did you find this post inspiring? Do share the inspiration with friends and family. Your thoughts and opinions are very much appreciated, don’t hesitate to share them on the blog or email me at: jaygurl007@gmail.com 🙂