Art is created with ingenuity and skill. It’s concrete and easy to put into words. On the other hand, anxiety is not so easy to define. People feel and react to it differently.
We’ve all experienced anxiety at one time or the other. Our lives are full of ups and downs. Anxiety can creep into our lives, leaving us with feelings of nervousness, worry, fear, and a tight chest.
That’s why it is essential to have the mental power to take a step back, relax, breathe deeply, and reset when going through a stressful situation.
I think there is no better reset against anxiety than appreciating a breathtaking sunset.
The Art of Managing Anxiety: With the Power of Your Mind
I’m a biological medical scientist, and just before COVID-19 hit, I was working at a medical service provider.
I still remember our laboratory manager informing us of the new COVID-19 assay to be implemented in our laboratory.
I developed anxiety from hearing the news. This was not just any other assay. Our lives as we knew them were about to be turned upside down, with altered shifts, longer hours, and all-nighters in the lab.
My doctor prescribed an antidepressant. When I arrived home, fearing becoming dependent on pills to stay calm, I threw my new medication against the back of my bathroom cabinet.
I understand that sometimes medical intervention is necessary to keep anxiety and depression under wraps. Instead, I decided to use my mind to process the feelings that begun to develop.
Through mindfulness, I focused on positive thoughts and feelings of gratitude. I prayed for strength to see me through what was about to hit us at the workplace during the COVID-19 pandemic.
It was a rollercoaster of time for all of us. I can testify that feelings of anxiety can target everyone and anyone.
It takes a sound, solid mind to turn these feelings into fuel that keeps you going with a positive attitude.
The practice of mindfulness is a powerful skill to have to deal with feelings of anxiety. Anxiety is often caused by worry about current affairs, fear of the unknown, and uncertainty in our ability to deal with difficult people or situations.
By practising mindfulness, in other words, becoming fully aware of our surroundings, fears, worries and uncertainties, you can hold these thoughts and feelings captive.
Once captive and no longer running like the Wild West in our minds, manifesting physically in our stomachs or chests, our minds became free to receive:
- Positive convictions.
- Ideas that can help us find solutions to problems.
- Thoughts of encouragement, gratitude, and resilience.
The Art of Managing Anxiety: With the Beauty of Sunsets
No matter where I’m in the world, I always find comfort in admiring and taking in the beauty of a stunning sunset that looks like a beautiful art canvas filled with spectacular colours.
Gazing at the sun as it sets and allowing direct sunlight to enter our eyes stimulates the pineal gland located in the brain. As a response, serotonin, the feel-good hormone, is released.
Low levels of serotonin can lead to several psychological symptoms, including anxiety. Exposure to bright light is one of the ways to increase serotonin without drugs.
What more accessible and satisfying way to be exposed to bright light than to watch an awe-inspiring sunset?
When the Power of the Mind and the Beauty of Sunsets fail in the Art of Managing Anxiety
Passing forward a few years, I now live in a beautiful part of South Africa, in the Western Cape, recently struck by storm surges. While these storm surges are causing havoc throughout the peninsula, roads are closed, causing major traffic jams.
I drove bumper to bumper in one of these for two hours one morning. Then, I got detoured onto a different route. I began to feel anxious because my mobile data ran out, and I no longer knew where I was headed.
Once back home safely and mindful of such, that feeling of anxiety was subdued, and that’s completely normal.
Feeling anxiety is quite normal under stressful situations like getting ready to write exams, going for a job interview, or unforeseen change of circumstances. Pressure can help us to think quicker in cases of threat and uncertainty.
It is an aspect of our evolution. As such, anxiety is a tool that forms part of our initial response to deal with stress. This response to dangerous situations is known as fight-or-flight.
However, when anxiety does not subdue and is a continuous occurrence even under normal and peaceful life circumstances, it is regarded as a condition.
For some people, anxiety might hinder their ability to think clearly and to act fast when needed. Feelings of anxiety can be so extreme that it can steal your quality of life.
Anxiety is a type of depressive disorder that may require medical intervention. Medical intervention involves using drugs if anxiety results from an imbalance of certain hormones in the brain.
Conclusion
Like art, anxiety is sometimes difficult to interpret, but it is in the eye and heart of the beholder.
A mindful sunset enthusiast will find contentment, gratitude, and peace. A heart filled with these gifts will not be anxious at the same time.
Please go on, try it…it won’t cost you a dime.