For many weeks now I have been worrying about a certain thing. It was finance related and it left me feeling crippled with anxiety and fear. Quite commonly, money is something that we all worry about the most, along with health and relationships. Even after all these years of learning to manage anxiety, this occasion really had me in a flurry.
I couldn’t keep the anxiety away. It kept me up at night and it was all I could think about, even at work. Feeling overwhelmed, I could barely think of anything else.
However, around this same time, my brother suggested we take part in an annual raft race with two other friends. Seven long miles of river. Needless to say, it was something I could really do without whilst I tried to sort my worry out. The project would take a lot of time and a bit of money and as my problem was money related, I was hesitant to put any money towards it.
We would need money for the entry fee plus money for the raft components. As we’d never built a raft before (who has?) it was also unclear of how much money we’d have to all chip in.
After mulling the idea over in my head I decided that I’d join the other three guys and get involved. After all, the race was for charity and it seemed like a good challenge to undertake.
Still feeling preoccupied in my brain for the anxiety my situation was causing me, I joined the others in buying the bits we needed and we set out to build the thing over the next eight weeks. For a few hours every Sunday, we hammered, drilled and finally painted our masterpiece.
It was exhausting, challenging and very fun to be involved with a shared project.
After lots of group chat conversations and ideas being knocked around, we’d finally finished out raft one week before the big race.
Race day was brutal, fun and tiring all wrapped up in one thrilling sense of achievement for each of us. Our raft didn’t sink and we made it all the way to the finish line using our sheer muscle power to paddle against the wind and rain.
Keeping Anxiety Away
Through this process, I not only learned how to build a (damn) raft and how to put ideas together as a group but it also reminded me of some very important things when it comes to keeping anxiety away.
So here’s a list of the ways having a project can keep your mental health in check and keep anxiety away.
Determine never to be idle.No person will have occasion to complain of the want of time who never loses any. It is wonderful how much can be done when we are always doing.
Thomas Jefferson
1. Stay Occupied So Your Brain Doesn’t Turn To Mush
Whilst I would be at work I would worry but a lot of the time I was also focused on what I was doing. It was on the weekends that I could not keep my anxiety away. With a few responsibilities to take care of on the weekend, the rest of the time I would be idle, or as I would tell myself, “relaxing”.
Whilst it’s true we need time to relax every now and again, I realised that I was relaxing too much. I would tell myself that I needed to relax all weekend just so that I could recharge for the week ahead.
In reality, I was sitting down watching the TV of hours a day and not keeping my brain from going to mush. Taking part in building this raft was a project that kept my mind sharp and engaged. There’s nothing worse than sitting around and overthinking things just because you’re bored or “relaxing”.
When we’re anxious it’s easy to want to hide away, telling ourselves we need time to think over our anxious thoughts. In reality, marinating in your thoughts only makes them worse.
2. Projects Steer Creative thoughts Toward Positive Things
Creativity can cause torment or contentment. Creative thinking can cause you to tell yourself stories, especially when you’re worried about something. Whilst thinking about the thing I was worried about, I told myself all kinds of things that would happen. Some far-fetched, some I thought were realistic.
On the other hand, creative thinking can lead to fulfilment when we overcome a challenge we have set ourselves. We’re forced to think ‘outside the box’, especially when a project we’re undertaking is new and challenging.
Taking part in our project I found myself creatively thinking and coming up with new ideas about how we could make the raft float, keep it strong enough and how we could decorate it. The process was something that was engaging and important to me.
Whilst the actual race on the river was fun, it was building the raft that I most enjoyed. The shared process of completing something can only be good for your mental health.
3. Projects Keep You In A Flow State
Being immersed in a project you enjoy keeps you in a flow state of mind. The state of mind is achieved when a challenge is challenging enough to spark your creativity but not hard enough that it’s out of your abilities. It is the perfect balance of mind where you forget everything else that is going on in your life and you’re close to 100% concentrated on what you’re trying to achieve.
Whilst trying to push everything out of your mind might only be good temporarily (you’ll have to stop working on your project at some point) I find that it can be effective enough to enjoy the benefits for long afterwards.
Furthermore, if you genuinely enjoy working on your project, you’ll find yourself looking forward to working on it, constantly thinking about it in a healthy way, hopefully.
Although a ‘flow state of mind’ may sound difficult to achieve, we often find ourselves in these situations every day. Maybe it’s playing a game or talking to someone you share a lot in common with, we find ourselves lost in time after hours pass before we realise it.
A flow state of mind is particularly satisfying because it causes you to think. Not in an autopilot kind of way but in a truly creative one. Projects allow you to enter a flow state of mind which in turn helps to keep anxiety away
Whatever you’re worrying about and whatever your project might be, find one and immerse yourself. Do not let yourself become idle too often because you tell yourself you need a break. Do something you enjoy, work on yourself as a project or work on a physical project by yourself or with others.