Mr. A has had obvious symptoms of anxiety in the past two months. Two months ago, a new colleague from out of town came to the company. This new colleague is very charismatic and trusted by his supervisor. Upon seeing this, Mr. A decided to increase his competitiveness, which included starting further studies, even sacrificing his rest time and working overtime. These efforts helped a little, but Mr. A was still worried and unable to relax. His temper became irritable and he lost his temper with his wife.
His wife tried many times to comfort him, but he always refused. That made her feel sad and anxious. This week, he was so depressed that he almost gave up his ten-year habit of walking the dog.
He asked for help, got inspired, and took some smart actions. After a few weeks, he recovered his health back to pre-COVID-19 levels. How did he recover? What were the smart actions?
Mr. A’s anxiety symptoms are triggered by external pressure. Of course, it is right to work hard in the face of new competition, but his health is equally important, and more importantly:
- Stop destroying the resources or advantages he has: He realized that worry made him irritable. To a point where he unknowingly pushed away his most precious and powerful support – his beautiful, capable, and kind wife. After he stopped losing his temper with his wife and plucked up the courage to confide in her, he started to listen patiently to his wife. This enabled them to support each other and grow together.
- Consolidate his good habits: Although the feeling of anxiety made him lose interest in dog-walking, he still insisted on doing it every day and did not give in to the negative feelings. He also intentionally walked slower with his dog to soak up more sunlight.
- Regain the good habits he had given up: In the past three years, he had stopped going on family walks. He had stopped holding his wife’s hand when going out (for fear of contracting COVID-19). Recently, he has picked back up these healing habits one by one.
This way of restoring physical and mental health is not only useful for individuals but for families as well.
Written by: Dr. William Chui
Originally posted on: Health HKEJ
Translated by: Cheuk Long Chan
