| Some days I wake up and my anxiety level is already high. You know the feeling you get when you walk down a dark street and suddenly hear a strange noise? Or the feeling when that cop starts following you around the mall, even though you aren’t doing anything wrong? Or the feeling when you do something stupid while driving and just barely avoid creating an accident?
You know the feeling. Your stomach feels as tense as a rock. Your shoulders are up around your ears and your neck is rigid. You are gritting your teeth. At the same time you have the overwhelming urge to run, run anywhere, hide, go away, anything to get away from this feeling overwhelming dread and doom.
That, my friends, is what a high level of anxiety feels like. Try waking up that way and settling down to anything – work or fun.
And you know what the real crappy thing is? You know darn well there is no reason for the anxiety! The world isn’t coming to an end. You aren’t about to be shot by a robber. You haven’t done anything wrong. You know this and the analytical side of your brain is just ragging on you: “Cut it out – you’re such a baby. What is your problem?”
The worse thing anyone can say to you is “There’s nothing to worry about, just settle down” because, yes, thank you, I know there’s nothing to worry about and gee, I’d love to just settle down – why don’t you explain just how that is done when every fibre of your being is telling you that danger is right around the corner?
So you sit down and write a blog post about it, which you’ll probably regret later, and tell yourself “Thank god I work at home. I’ll just take the day off,” neither of which makes you feel better, but at least you are doing something.