Long before there was a Covid-19 Pandemic, there has been an ongoing Epidemic of Anxiety. Many teachers and parents are keenly aware that it has been ongoing for many years, and is primarily driven by not just the Internet, but the ubiquitous and universal access to it that our children have, via smart phones and other connected devices. Of course, it is not just the Internet itself that causes the issue, but how we, the human beings, use it. And, this is not just a condition that affects only our children. Adults are influenced and affected by these same forces.

Then, along came the Pandemic, and we all had to stay home. Not only did we get “a reason” but many new reasons to feel anxious. And, one important remedy for our anxiety was taken away, our ability to take action, perhaps not our entire ability to take action, but certainly our traditional spectrum of action was substantially narrowed down. If you lost your job, for example, almost no one was interviewing for hiring. Corporate executives even reported feeling frozen, while they waited to see what was going to happen. I think we all felt a sense of being frozen. For many, and for good reasons, that created a great amount of anxiety for them.

Anxiety is not limited to children growing up with the Internet, nor people experiencing adversity. It can also affect people in their jobs. A new salesman, for example, will feel a sense of anxiety. He or she does not know his products as well as they will months or years down the road. They don’t know all the objections that they may face, nor how they will respond to those objections. And, they don’t want to look like they are a rookie, nor look like they are not as competent as they will be, as they gain more experience. So, they get anxious. They may be slow to pick up the phone and make those sales calls. They may book fewer appointments, as a result.

When we face anxiety, we often have a thousand things racing through our minds. Maybe a child has gotten behind in school. The list of missed assignments is so long, they can’t keep track of them all. Their head is spinning, and they may even be defiant, in denial or in tears. The person who lost their job in the Pandemic may experience similar feelings. The new salesperson may feel similarly.

I have found that when facing anxiety, focus is very important. So, I focus on the phrase, “Action Defeats Anxiety”. If your child has gotten behind in school, neither your words nor theirs is going to fix the situation. You cannot brow-beat them into performance. They cannot talk their way into performance. Nothing they tell you or their teachers is going to fix that situation. Only their action. So, focus on key milestone issues (Illustrative):

1. Tonight – Get a Good Night’s Sleep (Put Away Phone by 8-9PM)
2. Starting Tomorrow Morning: Get Out of the Bedroom for School Work and Clear the Dining Table or a Clean, Separate Space for School Work
3. Focus on Just a Couple of Assignments They Can Make Up Each Day – Don’t Overload

Likewise, for someone seeking a job, or a new salesman, focus on just a few simple steps. The most important thing that you must do is take action.

Now, in no way do I intend to minimize anxiety, and to suggest that if you just do this, all your anxiety problems will magically go away. Anxiety and anxiety disorders can require counseling and medication for some to help them contend with with anxiety when it begins to control their life and acts as a destructive force. I support mental health efforts in this respect. If you feel anxiety or depression, it will not hurt you one bit to seek the counsel and advice or a counselor or a psychiatrist. At least then, you will know. You will probably learn something. However, I believe that even if anxiety is having that great an effect on your life, I think it can be helpful for you and for the people around you to keep this phrase in mind, “Action Defeats Anxiety”. It is not a cure, but it can play a role in helping you focus in acute situations when your anxiety begins to get you off track.