By Toni Kusiak, Midwest Center Personal Coach
Did you ever wonder why you can be so successful doing so many things and can do so many things that others can’t do, but you have one area in your life that causes you so much stress and anxiety that you have become depressed over it and it has caused you much distress?I often wonder how we can be so rational about so many things and irrational about one or two. Worse yet, we forget that we are so good in all of those other areas and focus only on how bad the one or two things are affecting our life.
Feeling Good about the Things We Avoid Because of Anxiety
The phrase that you are your own safe place is so true that we have to keep reminding ourselves.If you can feel good at home, or doing so many other things that you do, don’t you feel you can work at feeling good about whatever you are avoiding? Can’t you at least reduce the anxiety that you feel confronting problem areas of your life?
If you have agoraphobia, you might feel perfectly fine when you’re at home. Why can’t you take those positive feelings with you when you confront the anxiety that agoraphobia causes?
Using the Program to Confront Anxiety
Of course you can. That is why you are in the program. You want to make the change away from a life of anxiety and depression so you have the freedom to explore a life that you really want.You have to remind yourself that for some reason you picked out your avoidance so that you don’t have to deal with the real problem. By the way, the avoidance may have picked you.
I truly believe that anxiety and depression is the result, not the cause. Find the reason, the truth, face the real fact and then you can make the change to a life free from anxiety and depression.
I know you are going to say if I knew what was bothering me I would, but I don’t. I think you do know, it’s that low-lying, deep feeling that pops up. The thing that keeps coming to mind, it’s that problem that you don’t want to deal with. It’s that decision that you don’t want to make, so you can avoid changing.
Making Changes in Lifestyle to Overcome Anxiety and Depression
You do really know the problem that causes your anxiety and depression. What you need to do is think about how you can make it not a problem. It may take a radical change; it may take just the simple solution of thinking about it in a different way. It may take action to change your life style. Whatever it is you need to deal with it to get on the road of recovery from anxiety and depression.Usually people with anxiety lose their happiness, they may not believe they did, they may even feel that they are a relatively happy person, but when it comes down to it, when is the last time you really laughed out loud?
Start doing what you are avoiding. Make the time to make the change and your hardy laughs will return. I guarantee it. You can be free of anxiety and depression so that you can experience real happiness again.
Toni Kusiak, Personal Coach
