Illusive & Accumulative

[Anxiety - III]

My friend Henry helped me understand anxiety as both illusive and accumulative.

Anxiety is deceptive, wears a mask, and goes by other names. It slithers in and out of our attempts at control, waiting for our overreach as an opportunity to strike. The promising news is that when we take responsibility only for what's within our domain of control, we find “peace and resolve”. Discerning the difference, in Henry’s terms, is a matter of “prayer and meditation”.

Anxiety can also accumulate. Even if you can syphon most of it off with healthy habits, anxiety can leave a residue, which accumulates over time like "gunk" in the plumbing of your daily wellbeing. This is why Henry trail runs. It’s not only for the endorphins, but it’s literally to “flush out nervous energy that accrues over time.”

Slowing down (prayer, meditation, self-reflection, etc.) and speeding up (exercise, movement, physical exertion, etc.) help us tend to anxiety.

Anxiety is illusive (and elusive). . . slowing down helps us see where it’s lurking.
It also can leave a residue . . . speeding up helps with regular maintenance.