Psychology and Anxiety - Essay Example

Personal Problem Solving Paper Many people develop a personal problem at some point in their life. This could be in their childhood stage or adulthood stage, while in school, or during their career life. Personal problems are normal occurrences; however, these could have detrimental repercussions on an individual, if they fail to take the right course of actions in addressing the personal problem. Therefore, addressing one’s personal problem in the right way is necessary, as it prevents the adverse effects of the problem from occurring. Individuals thus, need to prevent these negative outcomes of their personal problem by appropriately responding to early warnings of stress that relates to a personal problem. Every individual has their own story to tell, including experiences they undergo in life, as well as their different personal problems, how they addressed them, and how the problems finally shaped them. Like any other normal individual, I have also had different experiences, which have shaped me; including various past personal issues I have faced. These happen in a cycle, as in every stage of life, I experience a different issue. Currently, I have to deal with a significant issue that I had never experienced before. I am supposed to make an important decision, which will highly influence my professional life, as well as personal life. The fact that I come from a country where joining the army is compulsory, I am having a problem deciding whether to join the army or not. This lack of decisiveness has devastated me lately, as I have to think a lot about this issue, weighing the advantages and disadvantages of joining the army. Several questions linger on my mind about what if I pass the medical tests and qualify to join; and what if I fail the medical tests. This scenario has without doubt cast me in a state of anxiety. Today, I have to deal with this anxiety as a personal problem, considering the degree of harm it has had on my psychological and mental well-being. The sources of my anxiety today include both external and internal forces. Some of the external forces include my perception of the army. Being in the army is not an easy task, as it requires a lot of sacrifice, commitment, and dedication. In addition, the risks involved in working in the army are numerous and vast. Therefore, it is from this perception that brings about the internal forces, which mainly comprise of fear. I therefore, fear for my future, as I have become uncertain of what will really happen. Having not made up my mind about joining the army, I lack a clear framework of what course my future will take. The main reason why this problem persists is my lack of decisiveness about the whole army thing. If I make a decision now, I will be able to paint a clear picture of my future. However, it has been hard deciding on this important aspect of my life, due to its highly sensitive nature. The type of anxiety I have had to deal with currently falls in the category of a life management issue as well as an emotional and mental health issue. Normally, people suffering from anxiety will feel anxious and nervous when they experience different problems, including tests, and when faced with an important situation that requires appropriate decision-making. Anxiety if not addressed may take a toll on an individual, resulting in distress and altering an individual’s ability to live a normal life. In my case, this anxiety has evoked a great deal of worry and tension, which I sometimes think is out of this world and highly unrealistic. Sometimes I tend to think that the reason for my anxiety is negligible and does not qualify to provoke such immense anxiety in me. Lately, I occasionally experience feelings of uneasiness and panic whenever the army thing crosses my mind, and it leaves me disturbed. Additionally, when these thoughts come at night, I normally have problem catching sleep. Lack of ability to remain and calm has also characterized the level of anxiety in me. Anxiety lacks any beneficial effects; rather, it leads to negative outcomes. If anxiety in an individual advances to a level where an individual experiences constant fear and worry, this becomes crippling to the individual’s physical and psychological health, including the individual’s personal relationships and social interactions. Personally, anxiety has had different negative effects on my general well-being. Most of the effects of anxiety I have witnessed have affected my psychological and mental health, as well as my relationships with other people. However, as far as my professional life is concerned, this anxiety evokes a certain level of negative effects on my professional life as well. With regard to personal life, anxiety has made me experience emotional pain. Most of the time, I feel vulnerable and experience some sort of loss since I lack a clear plan and framework of my future events. I have failed to decide to choose whether I will be joining the army or not. This thought therefore, has always affected my mindset, making me to be in constant thought, thus, causing me emotional pain. What aggravates this is the fact that time keeps moving and eventually, I will have to come to terms with reality, which will compel me to make a decision. Whether I join the army or not, I want it to be a decision that I personally and deliberately make so that I will be responsible for the outcomes of my decision. I do not want a case where the medical tests only determine my fate, whether I will be joining the army or not. I feel I am losing grip of my friends considering my recent psychological tests, which portray high levels of my psychological violence. No one wants to associate with people who do not bring out the best in them; therefore, I am likely to fail in my social life, if this condition persists. With regard to my professional life, joining the army is a great determinant of my career life. I want to excel and have a great career. In case I decide to join the army, I will be required to undergo medical tests. These include both physical and psychological tests. Considering that my past psychological tests have registered high levels of psychological violence, this will lead me to fail the medical test, making me ineligible for army. Therefore, it is best if I address this situation while there still is time. All my life, I have never desired anxiety to be a part of me. I always aimed at being a person who can solve my problems using effective decision-making to avoid stressful situations. I am hoping that in the coming ten years, I will not experience such immense anxiety, as I will be in a position to practice my decision-making skills in cases that call for critical decisions. In case I do not deal with this, anxiety will ruin me and may lead to some irreversible effects. It is comforting to know that there is always a solution to every problem. In my case, the solution to my anxiety lies both with me, and with other external forces within my surrounding. I can make use of various resources inside me, and those in my environment to bring about a positive change in my situation. Personally, I need to change my perception toward joining the army, and start viewing it in a more positive way. I can achieve this change in personal convictions toward joining the army if I change and restructure my mindset, including my thought patterns. This way, I will be able to develop important decision-making on the whole situation. Being in the University, I have the opportunity of seeking advice and mentorship from the careers department. This will help me gain insightful information and guidelines that will help me in making a final decision, which will free me from all the anxiety and worries. Despite the availability of help and solutions for my personal problem, it means a different thing for me to take the initiative of seeking this help. I have had the knowledge that I could seek advice from a mentor concerning my issue; however, different forces hold me back from taking the necessary steps. There is a feeling in me that sharing my problem with a second party is like exposing my weakness, so, I have shied from seeking help. This is a poor attitude that will be harmful in the end. In getting rid of this negative attitude, I need to change this into a positive attitude. I need to teach myself that a problem shared is a problem half solved. In addition, I need to understand that everyone faces personal problems, and that some problems require an intervention, as an individual may lack the ability to solve them all alone at the personal level. This change in attitude is crucial in giving me a positive mindset in addressing my personal problem. I learn that nothing happens when nothing happens. With this knowledge, I must come up with a course of action to address my anxiety so that I live a normal life again. Since my anxiety emanates from the aspect of whether I should join the army or not, I am going to find a mentor who will share career advise with me to help me make my decision, as, currently, I am faced with indecisiveness. However, before finding a mentor, I will change my perception toward the problem. I will convince myself that problems are there to shape us and to challenge and sharpen our decision-making and problem-solving skills. Therefore, I will aim at solving this problem in the best way possible so that in future, I will look back and count this experience as one that brought out the hero in me. Writing this problem solving paper has been of great use. It has served as the first step in my process of solving my personal problem. I have had the opportunity of writing my feelings down, and the ways through which I can handle my problem. Without doubt, this has been therapeutic in a way. I therefore, hope that the journey of my problem solving has just begun, and I am soon going to make the right decisions that will set me free from my current anxiety issues. Read More