How to Dance in the Rain

Some canned advice on what to do while you wait so that anxiety does not finish you.

If you are like me, you hate waiting because anxiety pushes your heart to your mouth until you can feel every heartbeat against your tongue. Having to anticipate something you want so much is torture. I have outlined a couple of suggestions I found on the internet that you can explore.

Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass… It’s about learning to dance in the rain.

-Vivian Greene.

Eleven-year-old Anthony Madu is seen dancing in the rain outside the Leap of Dance Academy in Lagos, Nigeria. Provided/Leap of Dance Academy

PS: These suggestions will not help much, however, trying each one for size is enough to help you find brief moments of sanity and keep you from quickly running mad.

Let’s dance!

1. Take a walk
   This was not the first suggestion I tried, however, it was the one that had the best results. Walking helps you free your mind of anxiety by giving you so plenty of other things to think about. You get to see your neighborhood, take in the sights, and live like a tourist in your own city. You might run into the local lovebirds making out in a corner or see two Lagosians brawl it out in the streets. Phew!
2. Learn something new
   I started a course on EdX; CS50. I was actually beginning to get a hang of C or not. Idk. We will never know because I abandoned it after I became too anxious to concentrate.
3. Write a book
   I started writing a book. Again, I abandoned it because hypertension nearly hook me.
4. Talk to people
   This is yet another effective solution. You don't even have to talk about what is eating you up. You can just talk about literally anything else. The problem with this is you might run into billing. Imagine trying to escape anxiety and someone is trying to bill you. Crazy.
5. Journal
   This is a good time to try to get in touch with your feelings. Get a notepad and start taking note of how you feel at different points in time. Write down how you feel, why you feel that way, etc, pour out your heart so that you may discover your authentic self.
6. Clean house
   You may discover old treasures that have been lost around the house. You may also find new space in your mind that will ease your anxiety.
7. Do something manual
   Engaging in manual activities like cooking helps tune out your mind and this can help reduce the anxiety that you feel. If you have the resources, you may also indulge in some craftwork or go even further with some painting and carpentry.
8. Put down your phone
   You are going to lose your mind faster if you keep checking your phone for that email every ten seconds. Slow your rate of descent into insanity by actually putting away your phone and leaving some minutes between checking for notifications. That way you have good reason to actually expect a notification and you feel less like a crazy person.

Uhm,.. yeah,.. I told you the suggestions were not going to be very helpful. Anxiety is crazy. Sorry. I hope you get what you desire and it brings you as much fulfillment as you imagined.