Medium-high anxiety
I am struggling to find material this week so I picked up my battered copy of Dad’s book, “The Grape-Toned Studebaker.” Hearing my father’s voice in his stories has a calming effect. I can’t write well when I’m not calm.
Near the end of his book he tells of the differences in the perceived fears of different generations. As a child his fears were catching polio, the devil, red ants, yellow jackets and mean old Aunt Bill. Then, as a young adult, the fears changed to include being injured so as to not be able to work, being drafted, and smallpox.
Some of my childhood fears included being orphaned, drowning (odd, since we lived in a desert), black widow spiders, and deranged roosters (seriously). I also experienced severe anxiety whenever riding in Dad’s 1952 Chevy truck. I don’t know exactly why, but I remember thinking that the truck would run off the road, explode or I would fall through the floor pan. It was an irrational fear as nothing ever really happened to me while in the truck. I never cried, or yelled out, or freaked out — just sat there almost paralyzed, waiting until the trip was over. Thankfully, they were just local trips to town and back.
So many of today’s youngsters deal with anxiety. I don’t know if it’s the same anxiety we all had as kids or if it’s manifested differently. It’s surprising, considering all the advances in technology available to today’s kids. Or maybe that is the cause of today’s anxious teens?
When we Boomers were kids, the only information we had of our world came from the three network news channels. News programs comprised maybe only two to three hours of the broadcast day and networks signed off around midnight. There were no 24-hour news channels to bombard us with the latest horrors of the day. The only portable device we had to check news reports were transistor radios and no one really carried them around all day.
Now we have instant access to news even as it is happening. Opinions are formed before events can be confirmed. If one news source doesn’t favor your perception of events, you can usually find one that does.
My parents censored what their children watched on television and in films. Now we allow some panel of experts to rate programs for us, or forego any kind of censoring at all. Young children constantly exposed to horrific events such as wars, terrorism, violence, and dire circumstances with grim outcomes are often not prepared to process the emotions that come from this knowledge. No wonder they become anxious!
Coping with anxiety involves being able process negative information appropriately. We can train our brains to think positively: Not dwelling on the source of anxiety but rather training the brain to find positive outcomes. I discussed this subject with an acquaintance who specializes in dealing with mental health. Anxiety can set up a negative feedback loop in the brain. The more you try to fight the anxiety, the worse it gets. Try embracing those feelings of anxiety. The feelings passed before, they will pass again. You came out of it okay before, you will be okay again.
Every generation has different fears, but the process of how to deal with anxiety is still the same:
support (loving parents, friends, etc.), knowledge of what is occurring in your mind (professional and medical help), and realizing that your feelings don’t control you. You control your feelings. Take a break from technology, news, social media wand mean people.
My anxiety over what to write this week is suddenly gone!
— Devin Houston is the president/CEO of Houston Enzymes. Send comments or questions to devin.houston@gmail.com. The opinions expressed are those of the author.