Staying Anxious Is a Choice!

Everyone gets anxious.  Being anxious doesn’t mean that you are a bad person or wrong.  Some people have “trait” anxiety which means that they have a condition or temperament that makes them more susceptible to anxiety in situations that they normally shouldn’t be anxious.  Everyone, however, has “state” anxiety which refers to anxiety based on the situation we are in, such as an exam, competition, big event, uncomfortable impending conversation, the future, etc.  Regardless, anxiety is described as a “perceived threat”.  It is an emotion.  It is our perception of something negative possibly happening.  We have free will and choice.  We are not characters in a video game being manipulated by the “player”.  We are in control. We can push “the buttons” and determine our response to our own anxiety.  Being anxious is not wrong.  However, choosing to stay anxious or allowing the anxiety to negatively impact our choices and actions is on us .  “A crust eaten in peace is better than a banquet partaken in anxiety.”  Aesop