Hello everyone ! Have a wonderful and safe day 🙋🏻
“The best use of imagination is creativity, the worst use of imagination is anxiety”. Deepak Chopra.
Humans are the only species since evolution, who have the most evolved mind. They can undoubtedly imagine both constructively and destructively. So, it’s our thoughts alone which can make or break us.
Being anxious is having an uninvited guest into your house, which you are trying to avoid, but still, he refuses to leave.
Anxiety is a state of mind, not a disease. Every day, we generate about 70,000 thoughts, out of which majority of them are negative and repetitive thoughts which do not serve any purpose. Thoughts are the main stimulator of our state of wellbeing. Whether you are physically healthy or not, thoughts are only instrumental which determines our state of wellbeing. It’s the day to day thoughts that creates our perceptual reality which we believe our real world. Hence, this is the hard truth that needs to be acknowledged by us.
It’s essential to educate ourselves that thoughts typically creates our reality. So, if we modify our thinking pattern or start creating empowering thoughts and beliefs, we can easily change the world around us.
Therefore, thoughts are so powerful that they can push you to the peak of physical and mental wellbeing or dumped you in the pit of depression and anxiety.
So, how does anxiety builds up?
Out of 60,000 to 70,000 thoughts generated, every day, about 90% of them are just repetitive and negative thoughts. There is overthinking and rumination of the same type of thoughts. As the cycle continues, there is an alteration in the chemical makeup of the brain. Dopamine and serotonin, the mood regulators get depleted in the brain. The production of BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) gets consumed, and slowly there is shrinkage in the size of the brain. When the cycle becomes vicious, and anxiety state becomes chronic. It started to interfere with daily activities. Such a state is regarded as an Anxiety disorder. As chronic stress get elevated and reaches the threshold, there are significant changes taking place in the brain.
Some noticeable changes are :
1. The more the brain is engaged in anxious thoughts, the more the ‘anxious neural pathways’ are strengthened.
2. The brain is stuck in the state of ‘high alert’, becomes more reactive to the stress receptors for possible threats which are mostly imaginary.
3. The fear centre in the brain becomes more prominent and more significant.
4.Not just the chemistry, but changes start appearing up to the DNA level in the brain.
5. Brain ageing process also fastens.
6. The circadian rhythm is disturbed, and the sleep cycle gets disrupted.
Simple ways to get rid of the anxiety state :
1. Firstly, it is better to face the anxiety. More avoidance will lead to more exaggeration. So, visit your fears, and start being an observer. Being an observer of your mental state, create a sense of indifference, feels like you are different from your state of mind. You understand that the mind and body have created a false association to any external object or stimulant as the triggering factor.
2. Diaphragmatic breathing: Long bouts of inhalations followed by long rounds of exhalation. The deep breathing technique: Like taking a prolonged deep breath of inhalation by counting 1-4, then, a pause of 1-4, followed by an exhalation of 1-4, then another break of 1-4, and the sequence continues. That is why this technique is known as four-square breathing. This slow and deep breathing causes the oxygen to reach your brain, and the parasympathetic nervous system gets activated. It can be an instant stress reliever.
3. Naming your anxiety is as expressing your state of mind to another person. Putting words, and explanation of your anxious thoughts will stimulate the frontal cortex. Your brain will be more attentive in the frontal cortex and deviated from the fear centre, which is responsible for the anxious state.
4. Mindful and relaxation techniques like mindfulness, meditation, yoga, which all goes to help stimulate the parasympathetic system, which is for relaxation.
5. Plant-based food is known to have a calming effect on the human mind.
Thanks for reading.
Blessings and much love to all 💐
Very nice post, concur with your thoughts and ideas. There is a new wave of thought gathering steam now and I read about it in ‘How emotions are made’ by Lisa Barrett, where she downplays the role if amygdala in threatening situations alluding it to the entire brain rather. A very compelling read.
Thank you so much for your kind and thoughtful response.
Thank you so much for kind and thoughtful response.
The article is very helpful during this unsettling time. I’d like to practice the breathing technique.
Thank you so much for your kind and encouraging response.
Thank you Dr. Jurisharma.
My pleasure always.
You have covered all the right details concerning anxiety. Great Post, most useful! 🙂
Thank you so much for your kind response.
Nice Post !:)
Thank you so much.
A wonderful post! So very much needed. Thank you.
Thank you so much for your kind response.
☺🌏
This is a must read post for all.It is going to help everyone as most people are fighting anxiety syndrome every moment. Thanks a lot for sharing.👍👍🙏
Thank you so much for your kind and encouraging words 🙏
Very true “Anxiety is a state of mind, not a disease. ” thanks for the post
Thank you so much for your response.
Welcome
Now a days it is very common problem Dear . Awesome article .
Thank you so much for your kind response.
It’s nice to get a sense of the anatomy of anxiety. I often have the experience of a sparking sensation in my brain, but that’s an abstract interpretation of sensations that may only scrape the surface of the neurological process.
Every individual who is in an anxious state does interpret differently. But, yes, each of us has the ability to overcome or at least manage our mental state by different relaxation methods.
Anyway, thank you so much for your kind and honest feedback.
Interesting insight into the effects of anxiety on the brain… especially helpful for those who suffer from anxiety disorders compounded by varying stages of lockdown.
Thank you so much for your kind response.
Thank you for this thoughtful articulation! So many people are caught in this cycle and could use the tips on how to retrain their thinking. I will share on @richonhealth. -DR
Thank you so much for your kind and encouraging response.
‘It is better to face the anxiety. More avoidance will lead to more exaggeration.’ Loved this!
And I have always wanted to practice that breathing technique, esp when in anger. But I always fail to do so, as I remember it only after I calm myself down.😅
Thank you so much for your honest and kind response. Take care😍
You’re welcome. You too.❤
This article really hits home right now as I have so many friends using their imagination to create anxiety. They are afraid to leave their house because of what they have been told about the virus. I choose to use my imagination for writing and encouraging. Great post!
Thank you so much for your kind and thoughtful feedback.