What makes you anxious? And how do you deal with it? Here’s a few of my own personal cisterns…
Not having enough. Solution: binge-eating, stock-piling groceries, buying new clothes that are exactly the same as the old ones, plotting and planning.
Having too much. Solution: giving everything away, clearing out (and binning) perfectly good crockery, books, clothes. Refusing to open things that people have bought me (they’re too good, so I should save them for some imaginary future day), trying to do good stuff to ‘earn’ a haircut. Buying affection.
Mess. Otherwise known as ‘feelings’. Solution: starve them, stuff them, drown them, ignore them. Also: cleaning. Feeling out of control? Line up your CDs. Not sure how to deal with your anger? Scrub the floor instead.
Uncertainty. Solution: make your life as small as possible. Don’t take risks. Only commit to situations and circumstances that you can control.
Sickness: Solution: pretend it’s not there. Deny it – or give it complete control. Lie down under it. Make it your identity.