“We Have a Great Epidemic of Anxiety Now”

“So What Can We Do?”

In the last 2 weeks, I have connected with lots of people who are overwhelmed with anxiety. For instance, one lady lost her house and was living with a friend… and she was stressed to the max. So what can we do to de-stress?

At one time in my life, because of unforeseen challenges, I lived in 6-foot by 9-foot room with no water, no bathroom, no nothing. And I have to say, it was not easy, but I never gave up. Fortunately, I had many things that kept me from having lots of anxiety and stress… here are just a few steps that helped me through the hard times.

1 - Eating Right and Inexpensively - It Can Be Done - Even when we are in the midst of hard times it’s all the more important to eat right. To eat salads, to eat rice, to eat beans, those 3 things are pretty inexpensive and can keep a person going for a long time. Especially the beans. Beans are life-giving, full of protein, and beans are the food of longevity. And staying away from all that junk food. Junk food makes us crash and we feel terrible… and then we have more anxiety. Rice is inexpensive, beans are cheap, and salad can also be inexpensive if a person shops around. And that’s exactly what I did, and it helped me to get through the hard times. Not only that, it made me see that if hard times ever came around again… I would be fine with just these essentials.

2 - Meditation Twice a Day - Makes Stress Melt Away - My constant and ongoing practice of meditation was so important to me to keep away stress. Without my meditation, I would have been stressed to the max. But with my meditation, I was doing great. Meditation can take away the stresses of the day… and make it possible for anyone to get through stressful times… and even thrive. I was doing 1 hour of meditation in the morning and 1 hour of meditation in the evening and I still keep that going today.

3 - Praying All the Time - Talk to God - When I lived in that very small room I was praying constantly. I prayed on a regular basis and talked to God, the Universe, and Great Spirit all day long. And the most important aspect of all of this is to have a personal relationship with our Maker. Talking with our God makes everything seem OK… so we can make it through our day. And it worked wonders for me when it was difficult.

4 - Laughing All the Time - The Great Healer - It’s important that we learn to laugh at all the seemingly crazy stuff that goes on in our lives. If we take life too seriously then we will have lots of anxiety. Laugher makes us feel light inside, we feel at peace, and all the weight of the world is lifted from our shoulders. It’s important to laugh at ourselves and not take anything too seriously… in reality, life is kind of absurd if we think about life in a playful manner.

5 - Seeing the World from a 3rd Party Perspective - It Changes Everything - Another thing that kept me going was to looking at everything from a 3rd party perspective. To stand outside of myself and see everything as if it were a play that was taking place on stage and learning from what was taking place. We can detach and have a different point of view and allow ourselves to see everything… in a whole different way.

6 - Exercising Every Single Day - Lets Change Our Brain Chemistry - Exercise is extremely important when we are stressed to the max. Getting on a treadmill, walking 5 miles a day, going to the gym was one of the best ways for me to de-stress and enjoy life and not worry about anything. Going to the gym is inexpensive these days… some only charge $10 a month. And walking totally FREE. In fact, I didn’t have a bathroom so I had to go to the gym every day to shower… so I might as well workout and feel good at the same time. Plus I was getting those endorphins running through my brain and feeling good.

7 - Create a Network of Close Friends - Friends are Important - And creating great friends and having a support network that will be there is important. I find it interesting, that when the chips are down you really get to know who your real close friends really are… and who are just acquaintances. So create some great bonds with people and be a good friend… and help your friends are much as possible… then they will be there for you when the times are tough. I remember a few great friends helping me in many ways when times were hard.

Follow These 7 Simple Steps… and They Will Help You Get Through the Hard Times in Life… I Know… I’ve Been There!

Many Blessings to Everyone!

Dr. Paul Haider