MY BATTLE WITH ANXIETY

No matter how composed we seem to be, at some point in our lives we always feel a form of anxiety due to some situations we find ourselves. It takes a very strong person, someone that different anxieties has built over time to have little or no anxiety about anything. Because I believe that no one is completely free from anxiety except they have understood and mastered that feeling as there will always be something trying to make us feel anxious.

For this week’s Hivelearners topic, we are asked to share our anxieties that is peculiar to us currently. For me, I believe that a lot of us have similar anxieties but then we all handle it differently. Personally, one of my worries is that I always feel incapable of doing anything. Whenever I’m presented with a task, there is always this doubt I have within myself questioning my ability to do that task rightly. Sometimes it even feels like people know me better than I know myself and it is really worrying sometimes because it means I have a lot of expectations to be met.

Currently, the thing giving me anxiety and is playing tricks with my mental health is my upcoming exams and seminar presentation. No matter how much I try to prepare towards my exams, once it’s already close to that time for the exam, I always feel incompetent and ready for it. I feel like I’m not as prepared for that exam so I might end up not doing well. I have a lot of questions running in my head like, What if I can’t remember all that I have read? What if the questions that would be asked are the parts I couldn’t completely comprehend or cover while reading? What if I go late for the exams and so many other trivia questions dancing in my head.

This currently is my anxiety because my exams is in two weeks time. Good thing is, overtime, it has always been a thing that I get these worries when I’m approaching an exam period. So over time, I have learnt to cultivate some healthy habits to help me navigate this period. Knowing the kind of person I am, as a student I always try my best to prepare for my exams as early as possible. I do so by attending more than 80% of my classes and listening attentively to the lecturers because most of my lecturers hardly set outside what they teach in class. I also try my best to revise some of the things that I learn weekly and sometimes daily. So, for courses that the lecturers took their time to explain in class, those things become easier for me.

Another way I try to overcome this anxiety is to always remind myself that it is not by worrying. Most times I replace studying with worries and that only makes my work harder. I tell myself, no matter how little you can cover, just do so and stop worrying about the bulky syllabus. Yes, I know most of my courses are bulky but then, what I try to do to overcome my anxiety is to just study for the ones I can, rather than ending up not knowing anyone at all. Most times, this has helped me a lot as it has proven to be effective.

I try as much as possible to focus on me and not others. This is one of the hardest things to do because as a student because you will always see some of your course mates doing really well and you start feeling like you should do more and you end up getting discouraged because you did more than you could actually bear. The moment I start comparing myself with others, I try to get more serious with my studies but after some time when things don’t seem to be going well, I most times just feel completely discouraged. And then, it will take the grace of God to get back on track. This has happened to me a lot but now, I’m beginning to understand myself better and avoid those distractions and just focus on my own abilities.

Finally, one major way I overcome my anxiety is through meditation on the word of God and prayers. I believe strongly in the word of God because it is the truth. It shows me my weakness and gives me a way to get stronger. The way of a man is not in himself, it is God that directs our steps as Jeremiah puts it in Jeremiah 10:23. Meditation and communication with God has helped me to easily do away with my worries. If it’s hard, it becomes even easier because all I have to do is tell my father (God Almighty) about it.

These are basically the ways I overcome my anxiety and it works all the time, especially the last one. It is not by my power or how good I might be at anything, it is just God directing my path.

Thank you for reading through. ❤️