You, know that feeling, right? There is something, not right. Nor altogether right, but neither altogether stable.
You go through life doing, receiving messages, appearing where you need to appear but deep down there is something tugging you.
A stress that you are unable to define. Difficulty in breathing. A head that is not satisfied with the request of the body to rest.
When all that was at all familiar to you then you are not alone. And more to the point you are not weak. It may just be the silent initial symptoms of anxiety, the ones that mutter before they shout.
Most of the individuals lose sleep over worrying until it interferes with their life in a visible manner. However, in real sense, it all begins way before the panic attacks or insomnia.
At first it is silent – in breath held that is not long enough, in shoulders raised that should be not too high, in thoughts repeated too many times. And when you are able to learn to identify it in the early stages you do yourself a great favor of being able to face it with compassion before it can pounce on you with its force.
Now, shall we have it out, frankly and kindly, how you can set about noticing?
Key Takeaways
Before it becomes urgent, anxiety usually manifests itself in a quiet manner.
Your words are not the first thing that speaks about your body, thoughts, and habits.
Prior knowledge will help you care without emergency.
Kindness goes a better way than being in charge.
You can observe and react before it is too loud.
It Doesn Not Begin With Panic, It Begins With Subtlety
Majority of the people believe that anxiety strikes like a storm. And at times it does. But oftentimes it comes like a fog, like thick fog that steals on you unnoticed and then you forget what clear was like.
This is why it is important to realise the initial symptoms. Not that you should then go about mending them at once, but that the sooner you are aware of it, the easier the way may be ahead of you.
You may not be in a panic state. You may even not feel anxious. It may simply make you feel off. A bit strung. Somewhat fatigued yet shot. Slightly detached to you who is usually stable. And those emotions, although minimal, are important.
It is not like failures predicted. They are calls to a stop. To listen. To pay a visit and see what you can do before you take another step.
Your Body Talks First- As long as you care to listen
Body is one of the initial places where anxiety speaks. However, it seldom shouts. It sneezes in the form of tense shoulders, shallow breathing or a butterfly stomach you attribute to too much coffee. It continues with sleeplessness, grinding teeth, palpitations of hearts in quiet rooms.
You may find yourself holding your breath when you are sending emails. You may feel that your neck is stiff without any reason. You may end up lying awake not due to any form of anxiety, but simply because you cannot get your body to calm down. All these are not mere coincidences. They are statistics. They are indicators.
It is not your body, which betrays you. It is safeguarding you. The sooner you tune in the more gently you can respond. You do not have to wait till your chest crushes and you are out of breath. You may start with where you are already, by asking: What is my body saying to me today?
And perhaps the solution is not evident. That’s okay. It is the asking what counts.
Your Emotions Do Not Lie But They Do Go Silent
Fear is not always a face of anxiety. In some instances, it manifests itself in the form of irritation. You bite the head of someone you care about and you do not know why. Or you just dismiss plans you had planned to attend because the thought of going out just seems impossible.
Other times it is numbness. You lose the ability to feel very much. Neither joy, nor sadness, but flat. You are the same as watching your life as opposed to living it. And since this is not the typical form of panic, you tell yourself it is nothing.
However it is not nothing.
Both feeling too much and feeling nothing are indications that your system has been attempting to contend with something that has not been expressed out loud. There is no need to explain it. All you have to do is to observe. And perhaps, as you do, you should say to yourself very quietly: What is behind this feeling?
The response does not need to be fast. However, allowing yourself to experience emotions without having to rationalize this is the start of reconnecting with an emotional balance.
Overthinking is not the only Noise in Your Mind
We all are great thinkers. That is the doing of minds. There is a distinction in thinking and being held hostage by thoughts.
The first psychological symptoms of anxiety are usually looped thoughts or the ones you have already figured out, but you still think about. You can replay conversations, prepare to say things to things that are not going to happen or you are unable to forget about small choices. You may think you cannot turn off your brain even when the body is stationary.
You begin to prepare yourself when things go wrong. You double and triple check things, the calendar, the stove, the text you wrote. You are overloaded with choices, and you do not want to make a mistake. And that is what you call being careful or responsible. However, it is actually fear in disguise as planning.
This is the way anxiety is concealed. Not panicky, but in the mental habits which are, as it were, helpful till they wear you out.
You should have the mind that is safe in your own head. And that starts with the understanding that not all of your thoughts are something that should be eliminated. Others are mere racket that you have grown out of.
Your habits are the story tellers
Anxiety is not always present. There are occasions when you act it.
Perhaps, you just scroll and scroll not in a state of joy but to run away. Perhaps you put off the things which are important to you because it seems like such a mountain to start. Or, perhaps, you are too busy, you say yes to everything, as being still is too noisy.
Such behaviours do not imply that you are lazy or distracted. They are coping mechanisms. And as soon as you see them through the eyes of compassion rather than criticism they are like signals, not sins.
Take note of what you pick up when the silence happens. When you think that something is overwhelming, notice what you prevent. There, you will regularly discover the first sign of anxious patterns.
And do not forget: everything starts with clear sight. Not judging. Just seeing.
Anxiety Does Not Mean a Diagnosis, but a Messenger
This is a crucial section dear reader. Being anxious does not imply that something is wrong with you. It implies that your system is telling you something.
Possibly, it wants to rest. Perhaps it requires security. Perhaps it would like to tell you something you have not been allowing yourself to tell. Regardless of what the message is, prior awareness enables you to respond as opposed to react.
Being nervous is not a sign of weakness. it is consciousness carried to the extreme. And being able to identify it early does not make you dramatic. It causes you to become highly sensitive.
And the next time you experience yourself in transition, whether of mood, breath, energy or concentration, stop before you press on. Put a question delicately: Is this anxiety knocking at the door to be heard?
That question of doubt might spare you weeks of burnout, sleepless nights or self-inwardness. And, what is more important, it can tell you that your inner world should be listened to.
Support Need not be a Last Resort
Individuals desire to get help when it is too late. But what in case help was not only about the worst days? What would happen when early care included talking to a person, a friend, therapist or a guide that is trusted?
You do not need to wait until you are not functional. It is OK to tell, I am not OK, but I want to be. No explanation that is well worded could be stronger than that sentence. It’s real. And it opens doors.
By being truthful, you are not imposing on anybody. You are demonstrating to both of them and to yourself what it is to take your emotional wellbeing seriously.
It is often enough to verbalise it out loud and half the tension is gone. There are times when all you need to hear is someone listening to you before the spiral starts building.
Then do not wait till you breakdown to seek a hand. Ask now. Ask softly. Ask bravely.
You’re allowed.
My Opinion
You tend to feel that you need to run because of anxiety. Off the room. Out of your mind. To something which will cause it to cease. only the thing is you need not run away. You are simply able to go back.
Once again back to the breath. Come back to the body. Go back to the real and what is before your eyes, even though that may be painful.
It is the core of early awareness not panic nor urgency. Just presence. The type that goes, “Something is not right, and I am permitted to be concerned with that.”
The cycle is broken when you learn to identify anxiety at an early stage. You allow your nervous system to have a restart before it goes down. You allow your mind space to relax. And best of all yourself you grant the favor of hearing.
You do not have to wait until there is a crisis in order to listen to yourself. All you have to do is to listen when the whispers start.
And as you listen you will find out, you were never alone in this.