Natural Healing Explorer
“Existence exists in the moment of pause. To experience it, observe your breath” ~ Naveen Varshneya, Founder NVLife
The above is one of my favorite lines. When life feels too overwhelming, chaotic, uncertain; I often go back to these lines to remind myself to pause and get back to the ‘business of breathing’ with utmost sincerity. And true to the guidance, in these moments of pause, a new version of myself emerges.
The last more than one year of the COVID era has given me life experiences and learnings on understanding and dealing with anxiety & stress. In this article, I am going to share those insights with all of you.
Understanding Anxiety & Stress
Anxiety and stress are very overused terms in today’s times. Yet for people undergoing anxiety, it is a real issue.
It can cripple you; or worse, it can stay with you always as a constant ‘on mode’ somewhere there in the background while you function and go through the daily tasks of life.
It can sap your energy and can totally drain any joy from things which you otherwise loved doing!
A key point to remember: Anxiety and stress are only the symptoms
The underlying driver actually is unexpressed emotions.
When our fears and negative emotions do not find a complete outlet, they stay within us and can get expressed in myriad ways (both mental and or physical symptoms). For Example: If you had an unpleasant interaction with your boss, the underlying emotion would be the frustration of not being understood, feeling inadequate, feeling not being valued enough. We often term it as ‘Work Stress’.
Physical Symptoms of Anxiety
Anyone going through anxiety could experience these symptoms:
Sleeplessness / Disturbed sleep
Lack of energy/ fatigue
Loose motions or constipation
More frequent motions
Headaches
Lack of appetite or eating too much
Craving for too much sweet or savory food
Aches and pains in the body; explained or unexplained (For the longest time my shoulder ache just refused to go!)
Recurrent ill health
(There can be many other symptoms that are not listed above)
Emotional Symptoms of Anxiety
Unusual weeping/crying
Angry outbursts/ feeling rage momentarily
Wanting to break things / throw things in some instances: This is a physical expression of the feeling of anger/helplessness
Constant feeling of being overwhelmed (too many things to do)
Feelings of shame, guilt, inadequacy (at not being able to cope when you think everyone else is!)
Feelings of dread
Feeling of melancholy
Feeling upbeat one day, then having several days of ‘barely managing to exist’
Lack of focus or concentration, especially at work
Feeling that it's never going to end ever!
Finding no joy in anything
Feeling worried all the time like a constant battery ‘on’ (getting worried about even small mundane things)
What Does It Mean For Your Health?
When you are battling anxiety or stress, your body gives you signals to slow down and work on your well-being. Through these symptoms it is pushing you to restore or recreate balance:
You experience excessive weeping or loose motions: When the negative emotions cannot find outlets to go, they become toxins that the body wants to eliminate through tears or motions
You feel tired and fatigued: It happens because your body is trying to conserve energy and channelize it to primary bodily functions
Frequent bouts of illnesses: Your body is demanding some downtime to cleanse itself of negative emotions and their physical implications
Your body is a supremely intelligent being. It has only one goal: YOUR HEALTH
The zillion complicated and intricate functions within our body are a design of nature. Your body is constantly: responding, calibrating, and adjusting its functions to keep you in prime health, even with limited resources or incorrect or insufficient inputs from our side.
Hence, it is imperative that you recognize these signs and take supportive action.
In the next article, I will share the Action Plan to manage anxiety and practices to reduce your daily-life stress, giving you adequate tools to let out your suppressed emotions.
To know more about anxiety and ways to manage it, join Wellcure’s Relieve Anxiety E-learning Course
About Author: Mayuri Goswami is a natural healing explorer and a finance professional with 16+ years of domestic and global experience in finance strategy, and general management roles, Mayuri is a passionate wellness enthusiast. She has co-founded a venture in online health & wellness space.
Disclaimer: The health journeys, blogs, videos and all other content on Wellcure is for educational purposes only and is not to be considered a ‘medical advice’ ‘prescription’ or a ‘cure’ for diseases. Any specific changes by users, in medication, food and lifestyle, must be done under the guidance of licensed health practitioners. Wellcure believes that each human body is unique and hence no Health Journey should be construed as a "cure". The views expressed by the user in the above Health Journey are his/her personal views and Wellcure claims no responsibility for them.