Anxiety, Depression, and WTF — have you noticed a general and dramatic increase in these types of conditions? Well, I have. At least there is a noticeable uptick in the number of people that reach out asking for help.
I am not a therapist, life coach, pill pusher, nor a medical practitioner of any sort. I have spent 70+ years walking about on planet Urth in a monkey suit — and I am somewhat familiar with each of the alluded to conditions.
I truly wish you well and good speed in finding help. However, this blog is not designed to point you toward that help.
Rather, this blog’s sole purpose is to introduce the notion that there are many places that deserve investigation as a part of your overall process.
Here are some areas I would recommend having on your radar:
- General health. Are you sleeping enough, are you eating properly, are you well hydrated, and are you getting proper exercise?
- Medical causes. Is there a biological cause that precipitates the condition?
- Psychological. Is there a psychological situation going on that could be the cause of the reactions?
- Reality. Is there stuff going on in the world that makes anxiety a reasonable reaction to what is happening?
All of the above can be considered as possible contributing factors to a condition — be it anxiety, depression, or WTF.
But what about “how to solve the problem?” Meaning how to make it so that one is not going overboard and suffering so much?
In the realm of possible solutions (or at least mitigating treatment) there are six areas I would suggest as possible contributors for a remedy to help dial back the problem.
- General health. Sleep properly, eat properly, exercise properly. Avoid stimulants like caffeine. Make sure you are not eating a food to which you are allergic. Are your bowels working well? And of course hydrate.
- Medical intervention. Do doctors have any help they can offer that
will help to mitigate and control the issue? It is not outside the realm of possibility. - Psychological. Do psychologists and psychiatrists have any methods they can offer that will help with the condition? In addition, life coaches might have some suggestions that are helpful.
- Are there simple ways in which you can edit your reality that will help. For example: stop watching the news, avoid certain types of entertainment. Maybe add certain new ways of interfacing with reality that will help.
- Spiritual. There’s a rich array of methods and procedures in the spiritual realm that could be of great help.
- Connections. Check out the work of Johann Hari ( see the book Lost
Connections). Therein he talks about how establishing a suitable network of connections can help make us more robust so that we may process the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.
Well, that’s a massive bit of hand waving and vague pointing in many directions. But, then again, that is the point. All too often we find ourselves locked on to something like a bird-dog and a pheasant.
What if a simple visit to a dentist to have something done about that abscess tooth leads to the clearing up of a systemic infection that is drawing down your general energy?
Not saying that the tooth ache would be causing the anxiety. However, a low-grade sepsis can make even the simplest of issues near impossible to resolve.
Don’t let focus-blindness keep you from stumbling upon sources of help that can make the difference. And, don’t try to pray your way out of a depression that is the natural result of chronic lack of hydration.