Is there a hack for anxiety?

Last week, I struggled with major feelings of self-condemnation. It started out with a lack of motivation on my job and feeling like I was falling short at each turn. It transitioned into a disgust for the extra weight I had put on over the past few months. Finally, I became paralyzed with self-doubt in playing Pickleball. I couldn’t do anything right on the courts. It went from bad to worse, as I couldn’t get my serve over the net no matter how hard I tried. One of my PB friends, noticed my challenges and commented that I’m thinking too much. In light of my temperament, I’ve heard this countless times before. I am analytical to the core! LOL.

As you might have guessed, I am not a timid person. However, last week, my thoughts, and actions were that of a person who was self-doubting, and who lacked confidence. 

During the weekend, I realized that I had allowed anxiety to build up on my job and while I was playing pickle ball. It reared its ugly head, especially during each serve. 

Considering my situation, I prayed, and I began searching, for resources that could help me. I found this short clip by Ryan Miller with Share the Struggle, on the hack to get rid of anxiety (https://www.instagram.com/reel/DKupNGFus4i/?igsh=MXVjbWh2M3pjZDU0YQ== ). I love his passion. What resonated with me was when he said that “If you look at the neuroscience, it proves that you can’t be anxious and grateful at the same time. They live in different parts of your brain.” He goes on to say that “The cure for mental health is gratitude,” and that it’s important to cultivate gratitude in our lives.  

How do you cultivate gratitude in your life? For me, it’s about intentionally noticing and acknowledging the good things in my life. As much as possible, I try to think about the abundant blessings that I do have, such as my silly and loving husband, a supportive family and friends, a beautiful home to live in, good health, breath in my lungs, and above all, I am grateful to have a faithful God who loves me. 

In doing a little research, I found that it has been scientifically proven, just as Ryan Miller said, that gratitude and anxiety can’t exist in the brain at the same time. In an article in Positive Psychology.com, they mention a book called “Grateful Brain” by Alex Korb (2012). Korb said that “Our brain is conditioned to function in a repeated way. For example, a person who worries too much about adverse outcomes will subconsciously re-wire his brain to process negative information only. Korb mentioned that our mind cannot focus on positive and negative information at the same time.” He goes on to say that “By consciously practicing gratitude, we can train the brain to attend selectively to positive emotions and thoughts, thus reducing anxiety, and feelings of apprehension.”

Lesson learned: Instead of spending your time on anxious thoughts, or actions, spend it on cultivating gratitude!