Chapter 35
Dealing with Separation Anxiety
Separation anxiety disorder is not only common among children but adults too suffer from this psychological condition. Separation anxiety is a disorder that triggers anguish and fear in the mind of individuals once separated from their near and dear ones. For example, kids get anxious once separated from their parents. Though it is natural for children to get anxious on being separated from his/her family, this anxiety should diminish as the child grows older. However, if this anxiety builds up with age, the child may end up developing separation anxiety disorder which calls for professional help. According to experts, most kids who go through this disorder grew up in an anxiety-free environment. Besides this, kids who have never experienced the anxiety of separation in their life, often develop anxiety disorder at a later stage in life.
If you are apprehensive of your relationship, you constantly worry about the thought of losing your partner once separated from him/her. If you think rationally, you will realize that the thoughts of separation are mere fantasies created by your mind and have no semblance with reality. Individuals suffering from anxiety disorder go through multiple negative emotions that affect their life awfully. The constant worry of losing their near and dear ones make them helpless and eventually they become depressed.
You can Control Your high anxiety levels!
The good news is there are several measures to recover from separation anxiety disorder. You can ease separation anxiety by following the below mentioned steps—
1. Take it easy: Do not panic! Understand the fact that your worries and anxieties about separation are mere imaginations created by your mind, and are not real. Remind yourself constantly that your loved ones may be tied up with urgent work that is preventing them from being in touch with you. Their failure to contact or meet you does not imply that they have forgotten you. Be wise enough to place your concentration on positive thoughts.
2. Keep yourself busy: An idle mind is devil’s workshop. Keep your mind occupied so that you can stay away from negative thoughts. Spend quality time with your friends, watch movies, or read a novel. Do something creative; write poems or diary so as to divert your mind from brooding over scary and unpleasant thoughts of separation.
3. Do not seek reassurance: Seeking reassurance will only multiply your stress level; thus, avoid it as much as possible.
4. Focus on positive thoughts: Do not let negative thoughts conquer your mind. Be optimistic about life rather than thinking something bad is imminent.
Separation anxiety disorder is nothing but a battle with your own negative thoughts about getting separated from your partner. The tendency of separation anxiety shows up as long as you are away from your partner, and once you are together, you find your partner as loving and caring as he/she is. Try to accept that the thoughts of separation are imaginary. You also have to realize the fact that life goes on and nothing catastrophic is going to happen with your loved ones in your absence. Once you accept this, you will soon succeed in bidding goodbye to ‘imaginary ‘anxious thoughts besides learning to handle separation in an optimistic way.