Singer Zayn Malik announced that he’d be bowing out from performing at the Capital Summertime Ball because of extreme anxiety. He was set to perform at Wembley alongside musicians Ariana Grande and Nick Jonas, but had to back out due to the ‘worst anxiety attack of his career.’ The singer tweeted a succinct apology about the affliction that continues to keep him off stage. “I know those who suffer from anxiety will understand and I hope those who don’t can empathise with my situation,” he wrote. It’s normal to feel anxious when facing a challenging situation, such as a job interview, a tough exam, or a blind date. But if your worries and fears seem overwhelming and interfere with your daily life, you may be suffering from an anxiety disorder, reveals life-coach Manoj Lekhi. “Anxiety is an emotion, that affects an individual physically and mentally. It is a feeling where you lose your mind and your commands don’t reach your mind. Anxiety can cause illness when people don’t take it seriously,” he says.
Anxiety can be caused by several reasons. It could be due to work-related problems, the environment you live in, the fear of losing something or financial issues, says life coach Chetna Mehrotra. “However, sometimes it is also caused by self-loathing. The symptoms are pretty normal. You get headaches, backache, you may feel nauseated, tired frequently, become restless, etc. Sometimes these occur step by step while in some cases it all happens altogether.”
When you are with a person suffering from anxiety, you need to take special care and passing judgements should be avoided. “You ignore their harsh words because you know they don’t mean it. Give them an assurance that you can be trusted and spoken to about their issues and no judgements will be formed. Spend as much as time as you can with them. Never show them that they are always anxious or even bring up the issue. They already know it and will bring it up themselves. They just don’t want a label, not yet,” Chetna says.
A lifestyle change and deeper understanding of one's emotions is the cure. “Slow down and shut down completely from negativity. Spend time with loved ones and go for a detox — mental, physical and digital,” advises life coach Veechi Shahi.
One can go for a run, or even write a blog says Chetna. “It is some thought which has stuck to your mind and keeps troubling you, giving you anxiety. Writing it down and putting it on a piece of paper will make you feel relieved. You can also accept the situation which is making you nervous and devise ways to deal with it.”
