Anxiety Can Dictate Our Lives | Kira Potiiuk | TEDxLeiria International School Youth

Added: 2026-05-21

[00:00:09]Having an important exam tomorrow, trying to study in the evening, but the words just blur before the eyes.

[00:00:15]Heart is racing and palms are sweaty, dozens of thoughts whirling through the head.

[00:00:21]Time is ticking away and the heavy sense is building inside.

[00:00:25]Familiar?

[00:00:26]That is because our body triggers an ancient defense mechanism, which once upon a time helped people survive in a dangerous conditions.

[00:00:34]So, now I'm going to talk about something complex, namely anxiety.

[00:00:39]Some of you here feel at work, some of you feel at school, and sometimes you all feel it at home. So, just because I'll say that this emotion has been filtered through the sieve of evolution and that we needed it long time ago, does it change how people relate toward anxiety?

[00:00:57]Hello. My name is Kira, and my today's question is, do we need anxiety in the modern society?

[00:01:06]But, first and foremost, anxiety serves as a warning sign.

[00:01:10]It help people recognize potential danger on time where there is a physical or social situation and prepared to take actions.

[00:01:19]Anxiety also plays an important role in motivation.

[00:01:22]A mild sense of anxiety can encourage person to prepare for the exam, to meet deadlines, and be more responsible at work and daily life.

[00:01:32]But, modern people have not had enough time to adapt to these conditions of constant stress.

[00:01:39]And yeah, about the warning signs.

[00:01:41]We are constantly, permanently bombarded with them. Notification, news, social media, etc. And that is why anxiety has become our second nature.

[00:01:52]But, despite it, you should not try to suppress or eliminate it, well, mostly because it is impossible, but also because anxiety is neither your enemy nor a mistake.

[00:02:03]You should not try to get rid of it but change your attitude toward it. Try to understand and recognize what it is signaling.

[00:02:10]You should relate to it as a personal issue rather than a personal weakness.

[00:02:16]So, how do we manage an emotion such as anxiety?

[00:02:20]Well, um anxiety is directly connected with nerves.

[00:02:25]And the foundation of nervous system recovery is sleep, nutrition, and physical activity. Without these base and foundation, everything else work less effectively.

[00:02:36]But, you know what? I have a friend of mine which is struggling a lot with anxiety and uh even though she knows that about the stable functioning of anxiety and everything, that didn't really fully help her. So, maybe there is something with techniques, right?

[00:02:54]Um I remember last year uh in a school we were learning um square breathing method technique. It's like when you're drawing a square in your palm and you inhale and exhale. And like it should help you relieve stress.

[00:03:07]Personally, it never helped me.

[00:03:10]And I'm pretty sure it will not work because the deeper work on stress does not stop with techniques.

[00:03:17]It begins with changing the internal patterns of thoughts and behavior.

[00:03:22]So, that is why I highlighted you long-term methods that I think are most effective and you should give them a try.

[00:03:32]So, first one is those information.

[00:03:35]Reduce the flow of incoming stimulation and help prevent uh your nervous system from being overwhelmed because when there is a less than necessary noise, there is a greater clarity and more capacity for real tasks.

[00:03:48]The second one is limit mental moling.

[00:03:51]This is the habit of endlessly replaying a thought without reaching a resolution and it's intensifies anxiety and just exhausting. So, when you're stuck in your thought, just stop, think for a second and ask yourself, is there is a real solution for that?

[00:04:08]If not, try to switch to even a small action or return back to a present moment.

[00:04:15]The third one is set clear boundaries, which I usually notice when already people starting to work because usually the stress often arise from being overwhelmed by obligation.

[00:04:27]So, it is important not be automatically, but give yourself time to decide and keep a track of whether you're pushing yourself too hard.

[00:04:35]Clear boundaries help conserve energy and reduce pressure.

[00:04:40]And the fourth one is embracing uncertainty.

[00:04:43]This is the ability of easily accept that not all can be predicted.

[00:04:49]Instead of constantly trying to control everything, just simply adapt to the situation and remember that not all can be changed.

[00:04:58]It helps you be more resilient and yeah, worry less. So, anxiety is a natural human body response which help you you and people recognize risks and stay mindful of ourselves and the world around us.

[00:05:13]So, it is important to distinguish between legitimate warnings and unnecessary worries so we can use anxiety as our guide or tool rather than letting it control our lives. And that was it.