Anxiety is a good thing.

I'm an anxious person -- always have been. And this doesn't have to hold me back, nor should it always hold you back.

Anxiety can mean that you spin your wheels when you feel you should be moving forward. Anxiety can mean you worry about things that never happen. There can be a lot of negative aspects of anxiety -- and an anxious person will be quick to point out all the negative consequences of their anxiety.

But come on, Anxiety is more good than bad. I'm always anxious to get things done. I'm anxious to please people. I'm anxious to do things well. Anxious means "eagerly desirous". I'm filled with desire -- I wake up bursting with ideas, I see something happen and I anxiously consider a hundred possible consequences. An anxious life has given me a fast brain, and the endless benefits that this concurs.

Sure, anxiety can be labelled as a mental disorder, with all the social baggage that this carries. And people can use their anxiety as a label or an excuse. But don't let the label overwrite the entire syndrome. Like anything there is more to it than just the negative connotations.

If you harness your anxiety, you'll reap tremendous benefits.

Life without anxiety -- no thanks.

> If you harness your anxiety, you'll reap tremendous benefits.

Oh yes... if...

Sounds like you're trying to convince yourself. You surely didn't convince me.

I was going to say something but then i thought oh no! Google will eat my brain!!

here in Brazil we cure anxiety by drinking some "caipirinhas"; have u ever tried it? it´s amazing!

having googled "caipirinhas" i've learnt that it's the national cocktail of brazil, a real carnival drink, mixing ice, lime juice and an alcohol derived from sugar cane.

i think it could be popular here in australia -- we have a hot climate, a lot of sugar cane, and we do like to relax.

so tanx for the tip!

A fresh new way of interpreting the racing mind...

I really liked this post.

-Shiva

Very creative Leon

I´m completely like you, and the anxiety cost me near half year with Panic Attacks (an horrible thing I admit, was near 5 years ago) but after that I see all the things in a completely new way and, I´m sure now that I see the good side of the things =) and dismiss the false warnings

Like you, I can't stop think, when I wake up in the morning and go to the shower is the most creative momment in the day for me, full of ideas.

Just my side of Anxiety

Not to get all editorial on you or anything, but "anxious" means _two_ things -- eagerly desirous (in those cases when you can substitute the word "eager"), but also "full of mental distress or uneasiness". When you're anxious about a test, you're the latter. When you're anxious to get home from work, you're the former.

I say this because when you say "I'm an anxious person," my first thought was that you were filled with anxiety, as many people are. You know ... angst-y. But you say you're "anxious" to please people, which I think (?) means that you're eager to help folks, not all anxiety-filled about it. (Perhaps I am misinterpreting, tho.)

I think it makes a difference in your overall point. An anxiety-anxious person is driven by an essentially negative emotion, which is inherently stressful. "Oh my god! What if I screw up!?" An eager-anxious person is driven by enthusiasm and excitement, which is a positive emotion -- "This is so great! I want to do this more!" I think you mean anxiety-anxious, yes?

Anyway. Now I'm all anxious about posting this.

Anxiety provides the steam to struggle, makes you want more and be better, challenges you to be what you really want to be, let's you explore life to the fullest, lets you live each day is if there'll be no other day, puts you in a state of depression, makes you realize how far you are from what you want to become, makes you feel how different the path you're taking against your goal, lets you realize that life can never be perfect after all, but makes you feel alive, feel human. It's that crazy feeling that can make you become worth it in time. Simply, anxiety gives balance to life.

You make anxiety out to be something you can direct in either direction you wish it to go. Correct me if I'm wrong but when you say, "I'm an anxious person, always have been," you MUST not be talking about a psychiatric problem. It sounds like your talking about anxiety people get for ACTUAL reasons. With my anxiety, Seperation Anxiety Disorder and Post Traumatic Stress, you cannot control your anxiety. It controls you. Every morning I wake up and think about how miserable my day is going to be because of these damn disorders. They come and go for no reason at all, and some of them I've had to stop what I was doing, close my eyes, and breath in real big, because I was about to pass out. I agree with Mike, "full of mental distress or uneasiness" is what anxiety prone people get.

Anxiety can be a good thing yes, but! it also does more bad than good. If we could harness our anxiety all the time we wouldn't have anxiety at all because we'd be in control of it.

Anxiety is good if its not allowed to effect us physically. If it starts effecting us physically its better to go for medical relief bejore it does more damage. Alprazolam in moderated doses is good for anxiety. Stop it when the symptoms ease.

Nikhil Varghese,
New Delhi

Normal anxiety can be good, it is natural incase we are in danger. If we felt nothing then that would be worse... But people with anxiety attacks feel they are in danger at random times and cannot control it. There is the good anxiety and the bad. It seems you have the good only, and obviously have not experienced the bad. It can cause people to think they are going to die because of the physical symptoms and pass out because they cannot breathe, and many more not-normal things. It is our minds that create this "danger" which leads to anxiety attacks. And since it is our minds, it's a mental disorder. Anxiousness to get up and start the day because you feel great about your ideas - is not.
Would you want to live with the feeling something is wrong with you and you may die because you can't calm down? I don't think so.

I don't think people with anxiety disorders and panic attacks use them as excuses. Anxiety is a very real thing. I'm sorry, but some people need to do research before discussing topics.

Anxiety is a good thing.

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