I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration… ― Frank Herbert Dune

Fear an anxiety is widely common among caregivers. To understand fear and anxiety, we must first understand how the human mind works. The mind is the part of a human that thinks, reasons, feels and remembers, also known as the faculty of consciousness and thought, also known as the brain. According to studies in the psychology department of Pennsylvania State University, the average person speaks at a rate of 125 to 169 words per minute while thinking four times more rapidly. In other words, we think four times faster than we speak in a minute. An additional fun fact, Scientist discovered that it takes 13 milliseconds for the brain to see an image. In a nut shell, the brain/mind is super fast. How does this relate to fear and anxiety? Well, anxiety is defined as a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome. The cause of anxiety is intrinsic in its definition. Anxiety is caused by the anticipation of something that’s yet to happen, and this begins in the mind. Thoughts causes feelings, and feelings leads to thoughts. A negative thought forms in our mind, and because of how fast the mind works, the thought takes root before we know it and the more we ponder on it, the more we feel unpleasant about it, leading to worry, unease, nervousness etc. Here’s an example of how this works. I have a headache, I begin to think about the headache, and a phrase like this forms in my head ¨this is bad,¨ the thought triggers a feeling of unease in me, which in turn triggers another thought, ¨what if it becomes worse?¨ this leads to a feeling of nervousness, followed by another thought, ¨what if it’s a migraine?¨ I begin to worry and the pattern continues until I become a train wreck of anxiety. Bear in mind that I may or may not have a migraine. Anxiety is like a little tear in a garment, unless patched up, it continues to get bigger and bigger. It all begins with a negative thought, the key is to nip it in the bud.

”We do not fear the unknown. We fear what we think we know about the unknown.”― Teal Swan

Whether we fear the unknown or we fear what we think, the point remains we fear. So how do we prevent ourselves from being unduly anxious? Having determined that anxiety begins in the mind, the way to also get rid of it begins in the mind, at its onset. It’s called attacking a problem at its root or nipping it in the bud. Our minds have the tendency toward negative thoughts, but we also control our minds. Therefore, we can control our thoughts. Here are three easy ways to get rid of anxiety.

Think positive and breath

Positive thoughts gets rid of anxiety. Think thoughts that are calming, breath deeply and sigh to release tension.

Shift your focus on the environment

Do something like speaking to the space, standing instead of siting, walking around, jumping or bouncing, and touching object. Doing this may help you get out of your own head.

Write

Yes write about it. Writing about what’s making you anxious gives you a better perspective on it. It helps you identify your worry and gives you the ability to step away from it and look at it from afar. You might just discover there’s nothing to worry about.