The anxious person’s guide to action
I have some free time today.
The unit I teach in at uni has been paused this week while we organise to move its delivery online as a precaution against the spread of COVID-19. This is a sensible approach I think, given the sheer size of the place – about 60,000 students and staff, many of whom are frequent international travellers – and given that systems, plans and technology are in place to do this without too much disruption.
Closer to home in my Blue Mountains community there is no official requirement to enact precautions like this, such as closing schools or limiting events or group activities. Even when a confirmed case necessitated closing a local high school for a day last week, the health department cleared the school to open again after being cleaned. On local social media (and beyond) people are saying that this approach is inadequate, that all schools should be shut down, that people should ‘self isolate’ at home and that to do otherwise is to potentially be an agent of harm. At the moment there is no official advice that people restrict their movements in this way, other than those who have recently arrived from other countries, yet many don’t seem to trust this approach. I’ll leave aside the broader and interrelated questions that this mistrust raises around how people may view the role/capabilities/priorities/agendas of governments/institutions, what they think of their own personal roles/responsibilities/abilities/power, what they consider to be credible sources of information and why, and so on, and get to the part that interests me the most.
Anxiety.
I’m an expert in anxiety. I had an anxiety disorder for about 30 years. I say had, because my doc and psych consider that these days my relationship with this tricky feeling is healthy enough that it no longer warrants a diagnostic label. I also have a serious food allergy that was undiagnosed for a couple of years, resulting in 20 anaphylactic reactions along the way.
So over these past decades I’ve learned some things about assessing, managing and dealing with risk, and about how to do this when my anxious genes/traits/whatever have sometimes made it difficult to see situations clearly.
It’s been an unusually eventful several months in my local area and beyond, with drought, severe bushfires, evacuations, flooding, power cuts and dust storms overlapping in the new year. People are stressed, maybe even traumatised, perhaps financially affected and definitely very tired. Buffers are thin and we are now faced with the global situation of COVID-19 in all its uncertainty. Such a barrage of circumstances, especially concurrently and in a short space of time, make it difficult for even the most laid back person to think clearly, let alone those who already struggle with anxiety.
And so I’d like to share some tips for navigating challenges – the anxious person’s guide to action.
But first, a warning.
Over these past few difficult months I’ve seen people behave with courage and kindness, and I’ve also seen people’s overflowing anxieties and panicked fretting seed anxiety in others and stir doubt and confusion. These effects aren’t intentional – after all, most anxious people are just enacting their personal strategies for trying to feel less anxious. Yet these effects aren’t benign, because they can create real distress in others. And the strategies aren’t benign either, because they can lead anxious people to try to convince others of their own anxiety-soaked (and thus, skewed) take on the situation, or even to try and encourage them (overtly or covertly) to act based on this take. I say skewed, because anxiety damages the brain’s ability to appraise situations and approach them adaptively, with the result that sometimes the precautions anxious people consider reasonable, actually end up being dangerous. An example from the current COVID-19 situation might be someone whose anxieties have impaired their ability to understand the recommendations of experts (perhaps compounded by what pioneer of anxiety therapy Dr Claire Weekes calls the layman’s distrust), leading to an unfounded and distorted sense of the risks, and causing them to disregard official health advice (because it may appear unnecessary, too simple, not forceful enough or futile) and advocate their own measures. While I am all for people’s personal agency, it’s worth pointing out the potential wider effects and consequences of poorly founded approaches.
And so, my tips.
Most importantly, the Gestalt approach makes action the solution to problematic anxiety rather than something that’s only possible after anxiety has been dealt with or at least reduced to a low hum.
And there is energy in anxiety – so much energy that it will exhaust you and possibly impact others if it has nowhere to go and nothing to do!
So action is important, because the world needs action on so many things. And it needs action that is based on thinking and listening and discussing, well considered individual and collective wisdoms, care and responsible companionship on a shared planet.
As Ferris Bueller said, life moves pretty fast. I hope that the anxious person’s guide to action can help you find your feet in turbulent times.
The unit I teach in at uni has been paused this week while we organise to move its delivery online as a precaution against the spread of COVID-19. This is a sensible approach I think, given the sheer size of the place – about 60,000 students and staff, many of whom are frequent international travellers – and given that systems, plans and technology are in place to do this without too much disruption.
Closer to home in my Blue Mountains community there is no official requirement to enact precautions like this, such as closing schools or limiting events or group activities. Even when a confirmed case necessitated closing a local high school for a day last week, the health department cleared the school to open again after being cleaned. On local social media (and beyond) people are saying that this approach is inadequate, that all schools should be shut down, that people should ‘self isolate’ at home and that to do otherwise is to potentially be an agent of harm. At the moment there is no official advice that people restrict their movements in this way, other than those who have recently arrived from other countries, yet many don’t seem to trust this approach. I’ll leave aside the broader and interrelated questions that this mistrust raises around how people may view the role/capabilities/priorities/agendas of governments/institutions, what they think of their own personal roles/responsibilities/abilities/power, what they consider to be credible sources of information and why, and so on, and get to the part that interests me the most.
Anxiety.
I’m an expert in anxiety. I had an anxiety disorder for about 30 years. I say had, because my doc and psych consider that these days my relationship with this tricky feeling is healthy enough that it no longer warrants a diagnostic label. I also have a serious food allergy that was undiagnosed for a couple of years, resulting in 20 anaphylactic reactions along the way.
So over these past decades I’ve learned some things about assessing, managing and dealing with risk, and about how to do this when my anxious genes/traits/whatever have sometimes made it difficult to see situations clearly.
It’s been an unusually eventful several months in my local area and beyond, with drought, severe bushfires, evacuations, flooding, power cuts and dust storms overlapping in the new year. People are stressed, maybe even traumatised, perhaps financially affected and definitely very tired. Buffers are thin and we are now faced with the global situation of COVID-19 in all its uncertainty. Such a barrage of circumstances, especially concurrently and in a short space of time, make it difficult for even the most laid back person to think clearly, let alone those who already struggle with anxiety.
And so I’d like to share some tips for navigating challenges – the anxious person’s guide to action.
But first, a warning.
Over these past few difficult months I’ve seen people behave with courage and kindness, and I’ve also seen people’s overflowing anxieties and panicked fretting seed anxiety in others and stir doubt and confusion. These effects aren’t intentional – after all, most anxious people are just enacting their personal strategies for trying to feel less anxious. Yet these effects aren’t benign, because they can create real distress in others. And the strategies aren’t benign either, because they can lead anxious people to try to convince others of their own anxiety-soaked (and thus, skewed) take on the situation, or even to try and encourage them (overtly or covertly) to act based on this take. I say skewed, because anxiety damages the brain’s ability to appraise situations and approach them adaptively, with the result that sometimes the precautions anxious people consider reasonable, actually end up being dangerous. An example from the current COVID-19 situation might be someone whose anxieties have impaired their ability to understand the recommendations of experts (perhaps compounded by what pioneer of anxiety therapy Dr Claire Weekes calls the layman’s distrust), leading to an unfounded and distorted sense of the risks, and causing them to disregard official health advice (because it may appear unnecessary, too simple, not forceful enough or futile) and advocate their own measures. While I am all for people’s personal agency, it’s worth pointing out the potential wider effects and consequences of poorly founded approaches.
And so, my tips.
- Pay enough attention – this means attending to what needs attention, and not playing too much attention to (or as Dr Weekes would say, not being so impressed by, i.e. not allowing to make too much of an impression) that which can safely be ignored. This act of discernment is tricky for an anxious person, because how to tell?? Like any skill, it takes practice. As a starting point, pay more attention to what you know, and less to what you fear. Evaluate honestly the basis upon which you have formed your views. When you find gaps in your knowledge, or shaky foundations, seek reliable sources from which to learn and opportunities to test your knowledge.
- Accept uncertainty – there is much uncertainty in life, meaning that every moment is a chance to create a new piece of the path on which you’re travelling. There is much that is outside anyone’s control. Find, and find a way to revel in, the wildness and freedoms that are available to you. Dare.
- Allow anxiety – when anxiety is your companion allow it a seat at your table, but never a seat at the wheel. Although you may think it’s an unbearable or useless companion, and sometimes it might be, allow it just to be there, an aspect of your life that is at least familiar. You might find that over time it transforms into something you can work with.
- Acknowledge your limits – without devaluing your own knowledge, recognise that sometimes, probably often, you will need to rely on the knowledge of others. Satisfy yourself as to their authority in their field, and their integrity, then allow yourself to have confidence their expertise.
- Take a breath – but don’t hold your breath. This means taking time to evaluate, feel and think, but not taking too much time. Recognise when you are robbing yourself of your life by endless deliberation and trust yourself to take your next step. Or even if you don’t quite trust yourself, take your next step anyway.
Most importantly, the Gestalt approach makes action the solution to problematic anxiety rather than something that’s only possible after anxiety has been dealt with or at least reduced to a low hum.
And there is energy in anxiety – so much energy that it will exhaust you and possibly impact others if it has nowhere to go and nothing to do!
So action is important, because the world needs action on so many things. And it needs action that is based on thinking and listening and discussing, well considered individual and collective wisdoms, care and responsible companionship on a shared planet.
As Ferris Bueller said, life moves pretty fast. I hope that the anxious person’s guide to action can help you find your feet in turbulent times.
Wonderful words from your beautiful mind x R
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