Most of us have heard the phrase “Hakuna Matata,” a popular song written by Elton John and Tim Rice that was featured in the famous Lion King movie.  ‘Hakuna matata‘ is actually a Swahili phrase that means “no trouble” or “no problems” and that sometimes we cannot control everything in life or control the outcome of our plans.

I am writing this while I am traveling through Kenya and Tanzania while doing an 8-days Serengeti safari.   Living in the United States,  I am so used to the busy rhythm of life. Wake up in the early morning, out of the door by 6 am to work and gets back home by 7 or 8 pm in the evening.  Lunch sometimes can be a few bites of sandwich or grubs while poring over documents to make sure things are get done  on time.  

I am so used to sitting on the steering wheels and decide how fast or how slow I am going about my daily life.  It is actually a good experience not to have to make every single decision during the journey.  The only decision I made at this point is to trust the driver to bring us to our destination safely.

Life pace is slower in this part of the world.  You don’t hear the car horn directed at you or people give you the ‘middle finger’ while you’re driving on a busy street.   Pole Pole is another word of ‘slowly slowly,”things are not done in a hurry.   All I do is sit in one of the empty seat in a truck and let the experienced driver brings us everywhere. 

Anxiety is one the highest cases I see in my practice.  People are worried about their life, their routine, their family or just about everything. While mild or moderate worry can be a healthy things because it increases our focus and heighten our senses,  anxiety can disrupt life and presents as somatic symptoms such as racing heart beat, shortness of breath, chest pain, stomach ache, insomnia, sweaty palm, or a feeling of panic. 

There are anti-anxiety medications out there to relieve the symptoms of anxiety, but they are mostly short term in nature and when in used excessively, it can become addicting and ends up causing worsening symptoms. 

Just like the sun always rise in the east and set in the west, there are things that we just have to go with the flow like a running water.  I compare this to floating in the lazy river while sipping our favorite beverages. 

I believe that to overcome anxiety, there are several things we can do.  I will  not cover all options but I will list some of the common practical things we can practice daily. 

Slow your breathing.  —  Breathe in, breathe out. One breath at a time.  Don’t hold your breath anticipating the worst things that can happen in life.  Savor the feeling of air going through your nose,  deep enough to fill your stomach. This can help slow down your breathing and heart rate. 

Find your passion, do what you love — People told me that life is difficult because they do not have something to look forward to in life.  Living without a passion is similar to ‘just existing,’ we become a meaningless empty shell,  day by day, month by month, until our physical body wears out.   What if we cannot fine that passion?  Close your eyes and bring your mind back to the day when you were younger.  What made you smile? What made you get up and going?  Try that and you might be surprised that you will something else completely new that you will enjoy.

Change the “Can’t” to “Will” — I have heard so many can’t during my lifetime.  As an adult, the only one who can tell you can’t is you.  If you are hitting the end of the road and hitting your head against the wall so many times, will you keep doing it until you break?  The answer is No.  Find a detour, make a turn, and don’t keep doing what does not work. It is true that it can be scary to make a change in life, but you are living.  You are opening a bunch of new opportunities. 

Change your perspective.  — The value of one thing in your life really depends on how you look at the situation.  Remember a couple years ago during the high season of COVID-19?  People went to the grocery store and stocked tissue papers?  Its value increased because of our worry.    Your perspective often guide how you made decisions. Stop and look inside you, be honest with yourself, is your perception a reality or is it based of past experiences?

Don’t be afraid to lose things or people in your life.  — Find a moment to yourself where you can sit down and look around you.  Of things that are not serving you well now. Of People that contribute negatively toward your life.  Write down if necessary. What are you going to do with them? Hoard them? Discard them? Make some changes?  Again,  in order to make space in your life for new things, you have to remove the old unnecessary.  This is about getting out of your comfort zone and put yourself out there. 

Trust ourselves. — I think it is harder to trust ourselves than to trust others.  You may have heard the phrase, “from within , out.”  We are what we believe we are. We are who we believe we are.  Feel good with our decision, with our body, and our feelings.  As always, be kind to yourself. 

 Have a wonderful weekend!