Combat Anxiety: Don't Stand on One Leg

Balance is essential to combat anxiety. Something of an obvious statement but it always surprises me how easily things get out of hand.

These past few days saw the autumnal equinox, where night and day are of equal length. Summer is officially over. Can you believe it's almost October already? Bring on the pecan pie!

Money tends to get tighter around this time of year which can be a source of stress, too. There's that global downturn again. The switch in gears is also tricky to navigate if you're amped up on anxiety already.

To help with all that some folks celebrate Harvest Festival, or just look to appreciate the good things in their lives, before diving headfirst into the rest of the year.

I've been looking at things I can do to encourage balance in life: psychological balance, cope with anxiety, and stave off the winter blues. Ways to give the areas of my life that don't always get my full attention some extra oomph. Therapists call this anxiety coping skill, 'self-care'. I've never cared for the term but it's still a good idea. Pay mind to the basics - keep anxiety in check.

Combat anxiety: create balance in your life

• How much do you work, rest and play?

List the activities in your daily or weekly schedule that fit into each category.

• Is one area getting the most, to the detriment of other things or relationships in your life?

If the result looks more like

than

you may want to have a bit of a think about that.

Standing on one leg is all well and good for flamingos but I tend to fall down, eventually. Change legs if that's all you can handle but do something to ensure you're not stretched too thin.

I'm more productive and less prone to panic when the pie is divided into approximately equal portions. All good things in moderation? Yeah, yeah, that too.

Keep anxiety away

The importance of balance in your life can't be stressed enough. The more balanced your life is, the harder it is for anxiety to sneak up on you.

Anxiety relief is about living with less pressure. You don't have to be a superhero. It really is OK to just be you, doing stuff: See what you have to work with. Go from there.

Bringing the areas of life more into line with one another is good for your whole self. If one area is getting way more time/appreciation/energy than the others then you're probably paying for it somewhere.

• Do you experience somewhat 'mysterious' headaches, back pain, colds, tummy troubles, generalized pain or discomfort, lack of energy, fatigue, irritability, mood swings, etc.?

If so, you may be standing on one leg.

• Are there things you could do to change that work, rest, play balance and help alleviate the symptoms of anxiety?

Of course anxiety can't be cured by just resting a bit more. But the more balance you can maintain - that's key, the maintenance thing - the more ready, willing and able you'll be to manage anxiety.

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