Did you know that April is Stress Awareness Month? I am grateful that there is an entire month devoted to bringing awareness to stress and its implications in our lives. Stress awareness month rolls into May which is Mental Health Awareness, and the pair really do go hand in hand. When our stress levels increase, it affects our mental health. And when our mental health is out of balance, our anxiety levels rise. So they really are two sides of the same coin.

An earlier poem in this same book called Emotions are Like A…talked about emotions and compared emotions to many different things: a curtain, a river, a puppy nipping at our heels, and so on. The prose that accompanied that poem mentioned my dad and how I rarely saw him cry or display his softer side, such as vulnerability. That just wasn’t the norm for that generation. I am pretty certain previous generations did not give much credence to mental health either. I don’t recall my father’s company ever allowing for a “mental health day.” That was basically unheard of. People just tucked their emotions inside and went about their day.

Today, mental health awareness and days off to regroup are becoming more the norm, and that is a good thing. I am not going to say that today’s generation has more to be stressed about than previous generations because they had their share of stressors too. But I do think it’s fair to say that we move at a much quicker pace, and that leads to greater stress in our lives. Employers are recognizing this by offering mental health days, more liberal time-off policies, or flexible work schedules to com­pensate for the busy lives we now lead.

One of the things we see more of these days is people who suffer with anxiety. I suf­fer with mild anxiety from time to time, as most people do, and it can be debilitating. Anxiety, like the fear I wrote about earlier, can keep you grounded and prevent you from trying new things and experiences. There are many different forms of anxiety, such as social, separation, phobias, and more severe ones like panic attacks.

But fortunately, as employers have become more aware and accommodating, mod­ern medicine has many medications that help to calm the central nervous system and quell the anxiety. In addition, there are many things we can do for ourselves when we feel the anxiety start to rise, such as deep breathing exercises, meditation, or a long walk. I use a tapping method called EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) every night before bed which helps me to calm down, put the stresses of the day behind me, and help relax my mind before sleep. If you suffer from anxiety, I hope you find a method that works for you and that eventually you can find the strength to overcome anxiety and all the power it holds over you and your life.

Anxiety

It starts above the shoulders
And travels down the back.
It taunts you like an animal
That’s ready to attack.

It finds you when you’re sleeping
And it crawls inside your bed.
It hovers on your pillow
And makes its way into your head.

It messes with your stomach
And it stimulates your senses.
It finds a little thrill
When your body slightly tenses.

It knows that it is winning
And it starts to amplify.
You wish for it to go away,
But despite the ways you try,

It lingers in the background
Like a predator on the crawl.
It seeks out all your weaknesses
So it can claim them all.

It bubbles in your belly
As your insides start to churn.
You feel a dark cloud looming
When you acknowledge its return.

It is known as anxiety,
And it’s proud to wear this label.
It knows that it can rattle you
Every time it’s able.

It does not show you mercy,
And it carries no remorse.
It flows on through inside you
Like a sailboat on its course.

But you are stronger than it,
And you can supersede it.
You can do your best
To ensure you do not feed it.

You can keep your body healthy,
As well as thoughts within your mind.
Be grateful for the good in life
And leave bad thoughts behind.

By focusing on your breathing
And on centering your soul,
You can show anxiety
That you are in control.

You can unleash your power.
You are more than equipped
To signify to anxiety
That its power has been stripped.

And once it’s bare and naked,
It will quickly skulk away.
While you commit to do your best
To keep anxiety at bay.

-K.A. Bloch-