Summary

The article presents a quick technique to alleviate anxiety by distinguishing between an anxiety-inducing event and the personal meaning attributed to it.

Abstract

The article "Do This if You Feel Anxious" outlines a method to reduce stress and anxiety. It begins by discussing the evolution of the author's stress dreams, from avoiding traffic to encountering unsanitary bathroom situations, reflecting the author's changing concerns. The narrative then shifts to a recent dream about socializing without masks during the pandemic, highlighting contemporary stressors. The author emphasizes the detrimental impact of stress on physical and mental health, including weight fluctuations, unhealthy eating habits, and emotional volatility. To counteract these effects, the article introduces a three-step exercise: first, identify the event that triggered anxiety; second, recognize the meaning you've assigned to that event; and third, separate the event from the meaning, acknowledging that different people might interpret the same event in various ways. By doing so, individuals can disentangle their emotions from the events, leading to a potential reduction in anxiety.

Opinions

The author believes that stress manifests in various forms, including dreams, and changes over time in response to real-world concerns.
Stress is portrayed as a significant factor contributing to both physical and mental health issues.
The author suggests that personal interpretation of events is a major contributor to feelings of anxiety.
By recognizing that there are multiple ways to perceive a single event, individuals can gain control over their emotional responses and mitigate anxiety.
The technique offered implies that anxiety is not solely caused by external events but also by the internal meanings we assign to them.

Do This if You Feel Anxious

Quick technique dissolves stress in seconds

My nightmares have changed.

When I was stressed out, I used to dream about crossing a busy street. I could never get across, because there was always a big double-decker bus coming up fast. It was too dangerous to even try.

Eventually, those dreams went away.

After that, my stress dreams involved really needing a bathroom…but not being able to find one. Or finding one SO dirty I couldn’t use it.

Or finding one that was actually clean…but there’s no door and everyone can see me.

In all cases, I needed to use the bathroom but couldn’t.

Last night, I had a new dream.

I was at the park, hanging out with friends. We were sitting close together at a picnic table. We were having fun.

But I kept thinking, “I’m not wearing a mask. Neither are they!” And at each turn, instead of enjoying myself, I kept thinking we were all making each other sick.

I woke up with a headache that started in the dream.

Stress has all sorts of negative effects on our bodies and minds.

It causes you to gain weight, or lose too much weight. It makes you eat unhealthy things, eat too much, or not enough.

It makes it harder to deal with life — when you’re awake AND when you’re asleep. It creates disease. It also lowers your energy and makes your emotions “trigger-happy.”

So if you’re feeling stressed right now — for any reason at all — here’s a quick exercise you can do to feel better.

A quick technique to feel better when you feel anxious.

Step 1: Notice the anxiety. What event immediately preceded it?

This might be something someone did or said, something that happened…or a thought you had.

Step 2: Once you have this event, look for the meaning you gave the event that produced anxiety.

This meaning will feel like it’s part of the event.

Step 3: Make a clear distinction between the event, and the meaning you gave it.

You can do this by imagining the event playing on a movie screen. But it’s not you watching it; it’s four other people with different cultures, backgrounds and life experiences.

Imagine what different things they might say about that same event. How they might interpret it.

Once you can give the event different meanings, you can see there is a clear distinction between the event and the meaning you gave it.

They are not one and the same.

Like this, you can start to see that the meaning you gave the event isn’t the only meaning you could give it.

Following that…

If you gave a different meaning…you’d have a different feeling.

Were you able to make the distinction?

If so, the anxiety should fade.