Psychology Corner

Article by Affiliated Author: Ryan Rivera

There is beauty and happiness all over the world. There is the joy of friendship, the splendor of the ocean, the love of a significant other. All of these things are meant to make your life grand, and allow you to live a life of abundance and happiness that all human beings deserve.

Anxiety can disrupt your ability to be happy.  Every day brings new stresses and new worries. Over time, those worries can become more consistent anxiety, and that anxiety can make it difficult to enjoy life’s many wonders. You deserve to live a life of excitement, energy, and contentment, and when you have too much anxiety in your life, doing so can be a challenge.

Reducing Anxiety in Life

There are many strategies for reducing your anxiety. Many are effective. Talking about your problems is surprisingly beneficial. Relaxation techniques like visualization and deep breathing have calming properties. There are ways to counter some of the stress and anxiety of the world.

Yet it’s not uncommon to find that even if you use those strategies, there is residual anxiety that you just can’t seem to shake, and that anxiety still affects your overall happiness. If you experience this residual anxiety, you have probably looked for some way to reduce it to no avail. Many people spend countless hours and thousands of dollars looking for a way to cut down on their anxiousness.

The Teachings of Japanese Psychology

Japanese psychology teaches a theory: Maybe you don’t need to get rid of this anxiety at all. Rather, what you need is to learn how to embrace your anxiety and stop treating it like your enemy. Your anxiety is trying to tell you something – it’s telling you that you feel anxiousness, and that something around you is affecting your happiness.

From there, you are taught that perhaps you don’t need to fight your anxiety. Instead, maybe you should treat your anxiety like an ally, rather than an adversary. Consider the following:

• Rather than try not to avoid anxiety, you expect it. Most people find anxiety upsetting and frustrating because it comes at inopportune moments. But if you assume that the attack is coming, you won’t be surprised or upset by its presence.
• Treat your anxiety as you would a friend. When the anxiety does come, your reaction should be to “say hello.” Say to yourself “Oh there you are, anxiety. I was wondering what took you so long.” This will help you see anxiety as something you approve of, rather than something you dislike.
• Move forward with anxiety by your side. If you treat anxiety like a friend, you can embrace it and move forward with it, without letting it hold you back. You can continue to work hard and engage in activities without letting it hurt you.

Think about any time you get anxiety at work. The anxiety you experience daily causes you to dislike going to work and find your job to be more stressful. But if you treat your anxiety like a friend, then any time you start to feel anxiousness you can continue to move forward, not allowing the anxiety to affect your work or your happiness.

The Long Term Benefits of This Japanese Psychology Mindset

For those new to the idea, it seems more “easier said than done.” Indeed, if it was easy to move forward with your anxiety, many anxiety sufferers would already do so. But we’re taught at a young age to look at anxiety as something we don’t want – as though it’s something we can fight and control. The simple act of fighting it only makes anxiety stronger, and indeed – worrying about anxiety can make your anxiety worse.

Japanese psychology attempts to change that mindset. It is designed to teach yourself how to continue to move forward with your anxiety in tow, without allowing it to affect your happiness. Over time, you’ll start to realize that fighting your anxiety was actually fueling your anxiety. You’ll start to notice that the simple act of moving forward helps to cut down on your anxiety, because your mind will start to realize that your anxiety is not needed.

The Japanese Solution to Living With Anxiety and Stress

Stress and anxiety attacks can be difficult to live with. But it is made even more difficult when you are taught to fight those feelings, rather than embrace them as a part of you. You start to experience anxiety while you worry about fighting your anxiety, and over time it begins to control you.

Japanese psychology is designed to teach you a new mindset – a better mindset. One that can live with its anxiety, treat it like a friend, move forward and show that anxiety that it no longer affects you. It is that mindset that can relieve you of your anxiety symptoms and allow you to continue to live a life of happiness.

You can read more of Ryan Rivera’s Articles here: www.calmclinic.com