7 Ways Guys Can Spin Anxiety Out of Their Life

Do you ever wonder how much of your time you spend caught up in anxiety?

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When I was a kid, I was aware my mom worried a lot, and I wanted to do something to help her with her anxiety. I knew she felt defeated and lacked a sense of control. 

One day, she asked me a question I never forgot. She said, “Promise me you’ll choose to do what you love when you become an adult.” I remember promising to do that.

Her request gave me an idea. I would ask her what she loved, and as much as possible, encourage her to do it. This led her to a world of creativity that included weaving, spinning, hat making, and a place in the local weaver’s guild. 

Don’t get me wrong, she was already a knitter, and she may have discovered her other interests without my help, but I kind of hope I had something to do with her newly discovered passions. I truly believe those deeply loved hobbies helped my mom with her anxiety issues.

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Here are seven ways I kick anxiety out of my life:

1. Quiet Time. Some call it praying; some call it meditating. Every day I spend twenty minutes just giving my mind a break. Sometimes I use a guided meditation and other times I repeat a mantra of gratitude, like ‘I am so happy and grateful for my life right now.’

2. Exercise. I don’t always feel like doing it, but my experience tells me it makes me feel way better when I keep up a consistent exercise routine. I have a pattern of exercises I do, and this keeps me on track and more calm and focused.

3. Do What You Love. It took me a long time to learn this, but I strive to spend most of my time doing what I love, and arranging to have other people help me with the things I don’t enjoy. The way I figure it, I just need to find people who love to do the things I dislike doing.

4. Allow. I used to think I needed to try to control things in my life. After reading Wayne Dyer’s book, Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life, I came to the conclusion that everything works better if I don’t try to force things to happen. Instead, I allow thinks to happen and people to be who they are as much as I can.

5. Celebrate Your Wins. Every day I think about my wins and share them with my family. Now I think more about my wins than I do about what went wrong. I used to beat myself up for things I considered failures. Not doing that anymore has changed my life.

6. Do For Others. Spending time helping other people in need means I think less about my personal desires. And I discovered I have very few feelings of anxiety when I’m directing my work towards improving the lives of others.

7. Listening. I learned a long time ago from an amazing counselor that the most important part of effective communicating is listening. It seemed strange at first, but once I learned to be a more caring and compassionate listener by considering my body language, facial expressions, and eye contact, I became more connected to others. I ended up feeling happier as a result of my new-found connections. Before long, I realized I was experiencing fewer feelings of anxiety.

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Now my mom is constantly giving home-woven treasures away, is proud of what she creates, and as a bonus has made great friends in the Weaver’s Guild. Maybe that’s why she is happier than ever.

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Photo: Flickr/ Dick Vos