My New Way to Deal with Anxiety

Anxiety. 

The word itself can cause my heart to start beating quickly. When I’m in the throes of an actual anxiety attack (this is my term for it) my heart goes way past beating quickly and into a full-on metaphorical sprint. It’s not fun. (And yes, I’m a coach who sometimes deals with anxiety). 

I know that I’m not alone in this. Although anxiety manifests in different ways for different people, anxiety in and of itself is a more common experience than folks of my generation were ever allowed to believe. I’m really glad that there is more normalizing of mental health challenges like anxiety in today’s world. Such normalizing means that accessing help and support can be done without shame or blame.

The reason I’m writing about anxiety today is because I had an interesting experience recently. With everything going on in my personal world these days, anxiety is present fairly often. Some days, it makes me want to just lie in bed until the feeling passes. In and of itself I’m told that this is a valid strategy. The challenge is that I have things to do, people to see, places to go. You know the drill. So, lying in bed for long stretches isn’t a really feasible option. In light of this, I’ve learned to just “push through” and get stuff done in spite of the anxiety. The challenge with this approach is that it’s absolutely exhausting. So now we’re back to the lying-in-bed thing. It’s a bit of a vicious cycle. 

Two weeks ago, I did what I thought was simply “pushing through”. We were having company over for dinner, and I had promised them an authentic South Indian meal from scratch. I am very capable of cooking such a meal; these days, however, with the availability of bottled sauces I often cheat. And the temptation to cheat, especially in the presence of aforesaid anxiety was quite present. But I “pushed through” and made the complete meal from scratch. Basmati rice, cucumber and tomato raita, chicken curry, dhal, cauliflower thoran, pappadum. It was a yummy meal, if I do say so myself ☺. 

Here's the thing: by the time I had finished prepping and cooking, my anxiety had dissipated. And I was very aware that it had dissipated, but I couldn’t have told you why exactly this was the case. Then I read a quote a couple of days ago by Rick Tamlyn (if you don’t know Rick, look him up. The man is a genius and a coaching legend). 

Rick’s words were these: “anxiety and creativity cannot co-exist.” 

When I read those words, I had to pause. The truth of it resonated so deeply, especially in the wake of my recent cooking experience. The resonance of truth was so powerful, that I felt I had to share his words (which I’m doing, with his permission). 

What I realized is that the reason my anxiety diminished on the day that I “pushed” myself to make an Indian meal for friends, was because I let myself create something. It was something I knew, admittedly, but it required me to stretch from my usual “rote” mode. I couldn’t just go through the motions. I had to be present, and let myself be creative. 

Journaling has the same effect for me. 

As does painting.

And drawing.

And baking. 

And working with playdoh. 

You get the idea.

These are all creative endeavours, and they are anxiety-reducing in a way that “letting myself lie in bed” simply isn’t. 

Now, don’t get me wrong. I also understand the value of just being with the anxiety – letting myself feel the emotions surrounding that – and the corresponding freedom that can come from there. There is something about creative energy, though, that is liberating in a different way.

Bottom-line: the next time I’m feeling anxious, I’m going to remind myself to get creative in some way. Given that creativity and anxiety cannot co-exist, this seems like a strategy worth working with. I’d invite you to do the same, even if it is just playing with playdoh, and notice how creativity serves.