The false antidotes for anxiety: what they have never told you

We live fast and seek compensatory solutions; then we resort to yoga, meditation and other times to psychotropic drugs.

But... Why don't we get rid of high anxiety? Well, it is clear that there are healthy practices but often work only as an antidote. I'll tell you why.

• Related article: "What is anxiety: how to recognize it and what to do"

Anxiety as a social phenomenon

Today we live in the age of speed, without stopping to see what happens inside us. The Spanish Medicines Agency (AEMPS) confirms that 11% of the Spanish population consume anxiolytics. Many other people use antidotes looking for a short-term solution to alleviate anxiety and stress. There are countless recommendations to reduce anxiety. We often look for external responses and compensatory practices to mitigate the consequences of uncomfortable anxiety. But by the way, this is not the way and I will tell you what you have never been told.

• You may be interested in: "Mental health: definition and characteristics according to psychology"

The fallacy of fighting anxiety as the great enemy

When we feel high anxiety we tend to think that we need more rest time, a vacation, yoga or meditation. We often start looking for a series of tips to "fight anxiety" just like an enemy and we find some actions that seem like the perfect antidote:

• Practice relaxation exercises: mindfulness, meditation, breathing, yoga.
• Consider natural remedies: supplements, infusions, herbs, oils.
• Diets with special nutrients.
• Light a candle and relax.
• Spend time outdoors, with your friends, with a pet.
• Getting a body massage, a day spa.
• Take a weekend break, a vacation, sleep longer.

We seek to relieve anxiety, reduce it, calm it down, face it, control it and even fight it to eliminate it. So with great enthusiasm we start with new routines: yoga classes, a new meditation, etc.

However, we have to rush off work to go to yoga class, we can't concentrate in meditation because ideas burst into our heads, we light the candles but the mobile does not stop dream. And there you say: I will have a stressful day so I will need to disconnect for at least an hour. Still, anxiety remains high and you fight it to make up for it. You sound familiar?

But have you noticed that anxiety is the elevated tension in the body that tells you that you should make a change instead of fighting it as if it was the real problem?

The practices that relax us are not good or bad in themselves. Later you will discover when they are an antidote and when a healthy habit.

• Related article: "Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): principles and characteristics"

Why do we look for antidotes?

An antidote is something whose function is to counteract the effects of a toxin. Here I call antidote to the practices we use to prevent the undesirable effects of toxic high anxiety.

Have you ever wondered why we look for almost magical answers so as not to suffer from high anxiety? I'll give you a few of the many possible answers:

• We are content to do something to combat anxiety and free us from guilt.
• We deceive ourselves into thinking that we lead a healthy lifestyle and it reassures us
• It is difficult for us to look inside, to know ourselves and to know what we need.
• We seek more to compensate than to change the causes that generate anxiety.
• Because we are looking for recipes to follow and armed answers that are valid for everyone.
• Because we embrace the ideal of just being happy and rejecting unpleasant emotions.
• It's harder for us to build a craft lifestyle for ourselves.

So, we stick to the easy: follow a recipe, the advice, the new fashion, fight not to change. It also happens that it is easier for us to repair than to change. For example, we prefer to take a digestive after an excessive meal than limit the amount you need to eat.

So anything we do to mitigate or repair, unfortunately It is a failed solution in the medium and long term.

• You may be interested in: "Emotional management: 10 keys to master your emotions"

Healthy habit or antidote?

As we have said, the practices that relax us are not good or bad in themselves. Now you will discover when they are an antidote and when a healthy habit.

You will wonder now... How do you know if the yoga you are doing right now is an antidote or a healthy routine? For example, tell me if you run to class, if in class you think about what you have to do next, if you identify various sources of stress in your day. If the answer is yes, then yoga will be an antidote. Here, yoga is not bad because at least it alleviates anxiety, but it is not the cure and it is not an indicator of a good life.

On the other hand, if you take your time to go to the yoga class, enjoy the way, you concentrate on the activity. To this you add: proper time management, regular demands, among other health indicators, here it is possible that yoga is part of a healthy life.

So, to know if it is a healthy habit or an antidote, the secret is revealed when you ask yourself these questions:

• For what you do?
• How do you do it?
• Is it part of a balanced lifestyle?

seek balance

When anxiety is very intense and remains over time, we can get sick. There are various mental illnesses, from panic disorder to phobias or anxiety attacks. It is also common for diseases such as irritable colon, ulcers, among others.

So, look for balance in the area of ​​your behaviors, your emotions and your actions so that anxiety is found. in healthy amounts. Keep in mind:

• Do not use an activity as an antidote because it is a failed solution. That same activity as part of a balanced life is health.
• Do not seek to mitigate anxiety or make its symptoms more bearable.
• Seek to make changes so that anxiety is in its proper measure as the engine of your actions.

Remember: do not naturalize high anxiety. Do not justify the bad life. Get to know yourself and make the necessary changes. Since we can't always do it alone, consider having a professional guide to find the most effective ways to make the changes you need to live fully and maximize your well-being.