Anxiety is in everyone’s shadow. We all experience anxiety at different levels. It is natural to experience fear in short bursts as a natural response or reaction to stress or danger. Those small bursts of anxiety are often okay, as they can help spark your creativity or decision-making.
Different forms of anxiety include generalized anxiety disorder, phobias, panic attacks, social anxiety, agoraphobia, and separation anxiety disorder. These anxiety disorders can be intertwined or happen independently of each other.
As creators, it is normal to have anxiety attacks. Sometimes you stare at a blank canvas or screen with your pure ideas flowing and feel an intense rush of anxiety. It can often feel exciting and scary at the same time. As with stress, anxiety can be good and also bad.
What causes anxiety?
Firstly, the brain is wired for negativity. It is like a default mode to prepare you to recognize and react to danger. This means that about 60% of the time, you may see the glass half empty and look for confirmation that you cannot do something or pass a challenge. When in fact, you are more than capable of transforming your life.
Anxiety is often caused by a change in circumstances, uncertainty about the future, things beyond your control, and pressure at work. You can feel overwhelmed by an upcoming event, a new project, a new article, a Twitter thread, showcasing your work, or visiting a place for the first time. Artists such as Vincent Van Gogh suffered from extreme anxiety. You are not alone.
When I feel anxious about my work, sometimes, I want to run or scream out loud. I have spoken and read from a few professional creators who say this is normal. Anxiety sometimes makes you procrastinate your creations or meetings with people. It can even make you feel you’re not good enough for a role, but you have to deal with it.
How can you manage anxiety to your benefit?
The primary issue is most people do not realize that anxiety is a mental health issue, so they do not seek help. If you deal with anxiety, reach out to a therapist for personal or group support.
Running away from anxiety will not stop it from coming after you. You’ve got to face it, embrace it, and make it work for you. These few tips are helpful;
Stop avoiding it, and accept it. Resisting anxiety takes more energy than accepting and working with it. You will drain yourself fighting anxiety than embracing it and making it work with you.
Talk to someone. It doesn’t hurt to seek help. Talking to a therapist, a friend, or a support group about your anxiety is a great way to help ease into progress.
Active procrastination. We all procrastinate for different reasons, but doing so to keep space between decisions can be done the smart way. A few minutes of reading a book or watching a documentary can provide the extra energy needed to continue working. Check out how procrastination can work for you here.
Meditation does wonders. You might have heard this too often, but it will never be enough. A few minutes of breathwork can ease your mind into what you need to create. That blank canvas or screen is a new land you’ve set your foot on. Take a few deep breaths and conquer it all.
Prioritize your next steps. This works hand-in-hand with active procrastination. Understand your strengths, find what you enjoy about creating, and do those things first. Trust the process and put one foot in front of the other.
Embrace breaks. Detours are okay when creating. It is okay to leave your work halfway to get an ice cream or watch an ad, but keep it short. I advise keeping it under 20 minutes. Detours are good at helping you clear your mind and give room for external inspiration. They can also produce that refreshing energy to continue creating.
It is not strange to experience anxiety, no matter how long you have been creating. It is part of us as humans. Imposter syndrome is another thing anxiety can give birth to, but with early intervention and management, you will be fine.
Fear of rejection, failure, mediocrity, disappointment, and fear of going broke can keep you from your next big dream. Anxiety doesn’t happen to everyone the same way, but there’s one aspect that is common for almost everyone.
A silent, hidden fear that you may have never even acknowledged in yourself. The one that tells you that a task, project, or goal is too big to achieve. The one that makes you feel you’re not yet ready to start.
The next time you feel anxiety pulling you away from your creative work, consider this: you are trying to escape from your potential and success. Don’t let anxiety win.
You are equipped for greatness. You can do anything if you lean into your strengths and create regardless.
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