Common Signs of Anxiety

Father George Rutler, the retired pastor of the Church St. Michael’s the Archangel, in New York City, has counseled thousands of parishioners, from the ultra-wealthy and society-elite to the ordinary truck driver, street cleaner, or hotel maid.

And Rutler has come to one fundamental conclusion. No matter who you are, nor how wealthy or budget-constrained you are, whether you are straight or gay, and whether you are in a relationship or pretty much by yourself, we are all subject to bouts of anxiety.

Here are Father George Rutler‘s favorite ways of dealing and coping with mental stress.

• #1. Be in touch with our mortality.
  
  To be human is to experience stress so you really tie one hand behind your back if you are so hard on yourself or so delusional to figure out that life is tough for everybody.
  
  Yes, there is help, but you tend to close yourself out from help if you take the attitude that you shouldn’t experience any anxiety. Our brains don’t work that way.
  
  Humans have been on this planet for over 300,000 years and nobody, even God, can guarantee you that you will never experience anxiety.
  
• Reach out and be with others.
  
  Humans are social animals, and when we stay pretty much by ourselves, we tend to lose the best part of life.
  
  A University of Kentucky study showed that single men risk death 32 percent higher than married men, and single women risk death 23 percent more than married women.
  
  We’re not saying that marriage is necessarily the answer to a better life, but having lots of friends who you meet in person (online friendships don’t count) will definitely lower your stress and anxiety level.
  
• Welcome humor in your life.
  
  Sure the world is crazy, psychotic, and plain nuts. So what. Look on the bright side as often as possible. There are a million YouTube and Tik Tok videos with funny animals, crazy children, and goofy people doing stupid tricks.
  
  Medical researchers have discovered that laughter can not ease pain and stress by sending positive endorphins to your brain.
  
  And if all else fails, get a tattoo quoting the Shawshank Redemption: “Get busy living or get busy dying.”
  
• Take care of your body.
  
  Besides avoiding diseases and pain, everyone knows that it makes total sense to get enough sleep, avoid too much alcohol, quit smoking, exercise, and keep in shape.
  
  Most people’s anxiety would become a fraction of what they experience now if they followed all of these things. But will you? That’s the magic question.
  
  
• Keep an anxiety journal.
  
  Writing down every possible thing that gives you anxiety is one of the biggest steps to reducing your anxiety.
  
  You then learn ways to cope and control it.
  

See a professional.

Lastly, if you’ve tried all of the above, see a professional. They are trained to help you learn to cope with your stress and anxiety.

Professionals are everywhere, and there are even sources for seeing someone at a non-profit.