Is outsmarting your worrisome thoughts leaving you feeling disillusioned?
You genuinely want to be at ease. And in small and large ways you’ve tried to release worry and angst, but so far your efforts haven’t opened up the inner freedom you’re craving.
That can be so frustrating.
I’m guessing that the effort has been exhausting and that it’s not making you very happy. You may even feel a bit hopeless at this point, or even feel ashamed that you haven’t been able to “figure out” how to beat worry.
You’re locked in a struggle, and until now, feelings of unease have had the upper hand.
It’s not hard to imagine what happens next. The more you struggle, the worse it gets. Worry tends to escalate in response to pressure.
So if you want to release your fretful thinking, a power struggle will not get you there. That’s because fighting never resolves the underlying issues.
Wouldn’t it be nice to use your will power to support your growth?
Change your relationship with worry for the better
If this sounds good, I have a suggestion. Let’s make a fresh start together.
Let’s begin my inviting your heart to lead the way. Your heart is a source of kindness, love and acceptance—all things essential to creating inner calm. When you increase heart connection, you decrease stress.
Make sense?
Let’s begin by talking about the nature of anxiety
What is anxiety?
Anxiety can take many forms – worry, nervousness, unease, apprehension, dread or even panic. It’s a normal reaction we all feel at times.
Our world is filled with so much urgency, chaos and disconnection that anxiety can even feel commonplace. It can become part of our daily lives, and something we sadly take for granted.
Women who feel daily anxiety experience a nonstop overflow of thoughts along with unpleasant physical symptoms, such as muscle tension, a rapid heartbeat or jumpiness. Over time this can become unhealthy.
Before we talk about unhealthy anxiety, let’s explore when anxiety can be beneficial.
Anxiety can be healthy
You’ve probably felt anxious before an exam or even a job interview. With healthy anxiety your fight-or-flight instinct is activated in response to an actual event. Afterwards, your nervous system is able to return to a state of rest.
Temporary stress can help motivate you to make changes, so long as it is temporary and doesn’t occur too frequently.
Chronic anxiety is different, you can’t reset. Your nervous system can’t discharge the tension and you’re left feeling perpetually stressed out.
So let’s talk about that. It’s probably why you’re here.
What happens when anxiety becomes a habit?
Chronic anxiety can feel like you’re living in a constant state of anticipatory stress. You’re no longer only triggered by an actual event, but by the thought of something happening in the future.
Small, normal daily stressors can begin to feel unbearable. Your nervous system can’t distinguish between a real threat and a minor discomfort.
How does anxiety show up, and what triggers it?
You’re probably well acquainted with the cascade of distressing symptoms anxiety can set off: tension headaches, sugar cravings, difficulty focusing or fatigue. Worst of all, anxiety can disconnect you from yourself, others and the world.
You probably also know that anxiety may suddenly escalate in response to a change such as:
Job loss or a moving to a new location
Marriage or divorce
Difficult childbirth or transition to motherhood
Witnessing a tragedy (like 911)
Loss of a loved one or chronic illness
To cope with rising anxiety levels you may overeat, self-medicate, lean excessively on friends or retreat from life altogether.
Unfortunately, these can all cause you more stress. You end up in an ongoing battle with anxiety, rather than healing its underlying causes and the anticipatory fear it creates.
Why’s it so hard to get complete relief?
If you’ve struggled with worry for a while, you may have developed a good set of stress-relief tools. These are great for momentary relief, but provide neither healing nor a long-term solution.
Lasting relief comes when you heal its root causes and release the residue of trauma that affects your mind, body, heart and spirit.
Using an approach called Advanced Integrative Therapy (AIT) I empower women to find their way home to their hearts the real source of calm and joy.
AIT can help you transform the underlying causes that fuel worry. By using techniques grounded in contemporary neuroscience you’ll be able to reprogram your brain’s neural pathways and to find true healing.
In future posts I’ll talk more in depth about AIT’s holistic method for reducing worry. For now, let’s look at the next step you can take.
Sometimes reaching out can help you feel more hopeful and supported If you’d like, I’d be happy to chat with you about what you discover about your anxiety.
I invite you to set up a free initial consultation. Just click this link to schedule your 15-minute consultation.