Feeling So Uptight

There are times that we feel so apprehensive and on edge. We get mad easily even for the slightest reason. We are too anxious that we find it impossible to stay calm and relax. Unconsciously, feeling burnout influences the way we behave. Our performance and relationships are also affected.

When we worry about a variety of issues, we cannot stay focused because we jump quickly from one problem to another. It can lead to less self-confidence. We become uptight from a series of life events especially when we encounter many pressures all at once. It makes us feel incompetent in meeting the demands of life.

We strive hard but there are some people who are in the habit of destroying our resolve leading to think the worst to happen. We want to be always prepared. When we think of negative thoughts, our confidence diminish. We find it hard to reduce our anxiety level. We are inclined to worry more.

Even if feeling uptight makes us anxious but it has also some positive benefits because it makes us alert. It keeps our adrenaline rush going and prepare us for a quick response in case something unlikely happens.

We can use worry to our advantage. When we think of finding a solution to our worries, it becomes productive because worrying is useless. It hinders our creativity and productivity because chances are, our problem is really not about too many worries but on how are we going to deal with them.

We need to keep our problems in a proper perspective. We need to assess whether the cause of our worry is worthwhile or not. Sometimes what we are upset about is not really that threatening as we think. Sometimes we just need to accept that it's beyond our control. Acceptance makes us worry less.

Do what we can do today so that we don't have to worry what to do tomorrow. Procrastination makes us more anxious than we realize, Many people are in the habit of not dealing issues until they become overwhelming and unbearable. A problem becomes impossible to solve when we don't tackle it right away. But once we make that first dent, we'll feel much better.

Another way to avoid feeling uptight is to find something better to do. Something that can divert our attention; something that is active that when we sweat, our worries diminish and it gives a chance to approach our problem in a more objective manner.

We also have to sleep early because if we fret overnight, our worries won't be lessened. It will only trigger our anxiousness. Kick those worries out of the bedroom so that when we wake up the next day we can think clearly.

It's not really that bad to have burnout sometimes, but what's important is how to deal with the situation positively.

Being able to find a reason to smile or laugh at something despite the odds can help defuse our worries. So, what are you waiting for? DO IT NOW.

https://ezinearticles.com/?Feeling-So-Uptight&id=9841186

Growing Our Tolerance for the Unknown (By Sarah Koestner)

"Living is a form of not being sure, not knowing what next or how. The moment you know how, you begin to die a little. The artist never entirely knows. We guess. We may be wrong, but we take leap after leap in the dark."

- Agnes DeMille

I was listening to a New-Agey podcast the other day-- because I do that kind of thing sometimes. And the host was saying that he thought that people thousands of years ago could communicate telepathically. His rationalization was that people couldn't write letters and if they were separated for long periods of time, they must've found a way to communicate with each other. His hypothesis was that they must've done so telepathically.

I didn't necessarily agree with his hypothesis, but it got me thinking... about human beings today and how our intolerance for the "unknown" is so low. This random podcast led me to my own hypothesis: humans who lived thousands (or even a hundred) years ago must've had a much higher tolerance for the unknown.

A thousand years ago, information was extremely hard to come by. Books were rare and usually written in Latin. According to Google, only 6-15% of the MALE population was literate in the Middle Ages. There must've been a great deal they would've had to come to peace with not knowing.

Go back to 1915, just a hundred years ago, there was no internet, no television, no radio. There were telephones and it was possible to send a telegram, but it was expensive and uncommon for most people to do so frequently. People mainly wrote letters to communicate. If you wanted information, you had to go to a library or ask someone. Alternatively, you might have to live with the fact that there was a question that you could not answer.

Now there's us in 2015, living in the age of technology. In New York City, most of us walk around with palm-size computers in our hands (or at least within arm's reach) for at least 16 hours a day. Today, information is literally ALWAYS at our fingertips. Is there something you don't know? Not a problem, just Google it and you have your answer-- or in most cases, you have pages and pages of answers.

This has revolutionized the way we relate to the world. It has had many positive benefits, sure, but there are some negatives. I would argue that it has greatly lowered our tolerance for dealing with the unknown. We can find answers or confirm what we already know on an infinite number of subjects. "What was Robert Downey Jr's most recent movie?" "How do you make a chocolate soufflé?" "Should I worry about this funny looking mole on my right elbow?"

So when we are confronted with the questions we can't "Google," it's very disquieting to us. We have the answers to millions of questions one click away, but we don't have all the answers. "Am I going to get cast in that show?" "Did I do a good job at my callback today?" "Does my agent still like me?" Then there are even bigger life questions like, "Am I always going to work at a day job?' "Will my relationship last?" "Is there a God?" "What is the meaning of life?"

Of course, all of the above questions were always unanswerable (even before the internet). However a hundred years ago, there were also many more questions in any given day that were unanswerable. And so we were more used to living with the unknown. We were confronted with it all the time. Today, we are still confronted with the unknown, but information is so easy to come by that it makes the answers that we can't have intolerable! And this is backed up by the increasing rates of anxiety in our culture. According to an article in Salon, almost 1 in 5 people are diagnosed with an anxiety disorder in any given year and 28.8% of the population had been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder at some point in their lives.

How does this relate to acting you might ask? Well, it certainly relates to the anxiety that many of us experience when we're waiting to see if we booked a job or how nervous we get before we go in the room for an audition. Below are some coping strategies that may help increase your tolerance for the ambiguity we face in our lives.

• Unplug: turn your smart phone off or put it away two hours before you go to sleep each night. If you do leave it on, resist the urge to check Instagram or Facebook just one more time before you go to bed. You'll sleep better... and really you won't miss much. Give yourself the opportunity to sit with the uncomfortable feelings that might arise. I promise you they will pass and you will have given yourself the gift of growing your tolerance for the unknown.

• Get outside: Studies show that people who live in less populated areas suffer less anxiety and depression than those who live in urban areas. If you live in a city, make it a priority to get out of the city and into nature weekly. This doesn't even mean you have to leave the city. If you live in New York, go sit or take a walk in Central Park, Prospect Park or go to the Botanical Gardens in the Bronx.

• Meditate: Every day find time for stillness. Meditation can be what you want it to be. I don't necessarily mean sitting in the lotus position and contemplating your navel (although that can be great.) Meditation can be listening to a guided meditation, it can be sitting quietly and focusing on your breath or on a mantra, it can even be coloring in an adult coloring book. The most important thing is that you're taking space in your life for quiet stillness and contemplation.

• Exercise: This is perhaps the most important item on the list. When we exercise we create more space and flexibility in our bodies. Creating space in our bodies also creates space in our minds. Exercising regularly is a proven fighter of anxiety and depression. However, even if you don't suffer from either of these conditions it can still help to create more ease and joy in your life.

I'm not sure previous generations were telepathic, but I'd argue that people who lived in another era experienced more wonder and more uncertainty in their lives. And as a consequence, they had greater tolerance for the unknown. We can cultivate a greater tolerance for the unknown in our lives through the above tips and also through simply connecting with our breath, grounding, and having compassion for ourselves.

https://ezinearticles.com/?Growing-Our-Tolerance-for-the-Unknown&id=9210143