The Battle for Inner Freedom: How to Overcome Chronic Worrying and The Anxious Mind
“Worry is a misuse of the imagination.”
Dan Zadra
Anxiety is a common experience, affecting millions worldwide, but its still often misunderstood. The complexity of anxiety stems from a combination of genetic, environmental, and psychological factors, all of which can trigger an over-active mind and the brain’s fight-or-flight response. While it’s a natural response to stress, excessive anxiety can hinder daily functioning and overall well-being. In this post we'll explore several approaches to manage and overcome anxiety so you can thrive.
The faster you're moving the more you're in fear.
The more you're in fear, the more you're thinking about yourself.
The more you're thinking about yourself, the less you're thinking about others.
So there's no love, compassion, kindness in hurriedness, in stress.
The more you're hurrying the more the you're missing the magic of life.
The Biological Roots of Anxiety
According to the American Psychological Association, anxiety is “an emotion characterized by feelings of tension, worried thoughts, and physical changes.”
Anxiety is not just a psychological phenomenon; it is deeply rooted in brain chemistry and genetics. Certain imbalances or dysfunctions in neurotransmitters—specifically serotonin, norepinephrine, and GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid)—can make it difficult for the brain to regulate stress. Over time, this chemical imbalance can lead to persistent feelings of anxiety.
Moreover, genetic predisposition plays a role. If anxiety runs in your family, you may be more prone to developing it. Additionally, past traumatic experiences and environmental stressors can exacerbate feelings of anxiety, creating a cycle that is hard to break.
You may overthink because of your childhood. Perhaps you..
Didn't grow up in an emotionally or physical safe environment
Had to take on adult responsibilities too early
Got repremanded no matter how hard you tried
Were judged for making mistakes
Had to figure out everything no your own
Were made to feel that you weren't good enough
When faced with perceived threats or stressors, the body releases stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol to prepare the body for action. These hormones cause increased heart rate, rapid breathing, and heightened alertness. While these responses are vital in life-threatening situations, chronic or persistent anxiety can harm one’s mental and physical health.
"To relax in the eye of a storm, we must accept that there simply is no solid ground—only the ocean beneath us. Surrounder to the flow of the universe and embrace the boundless shifts of life. It's all just weather, nature."
"The Change Triangle"
The Change Triangle, created by psychotherapist Hilary Jacobs Hendel, is a tool to understand and process emotions, particularly anxiety. It helps people move from disconnection to calm and clarity by addressing three key types of emotions:
Core/Universal Emotions: Joy, sadness, anger, fear, excitement, disgust, shame. Need to be experienced authentically.
Inhibitory Emotions: Anxiety, shame, and guilt, which aim to block or suppress core emotions.
Defensive Behaviors/Strategies: Denial, procrastination, perfectionism, or numbing behaviors like excessive screen time or substance use in effort to avoid emotional discomfort.
"You will be free once you realize the cage is made of thoughts"
Sagar Singh
Unpacking High-Functioning Anxiety
Throughout our lives we may tell ourselves, or others may tell us, that we're simply
"perfectionists"
"detail-oriented"
"meticulous"
"particular"
"type A"
"control freaks"
"planners"
However these are all sugar-coated, socially acceptable names for high-functioning anxiety.
Individuals with high-functioning anxiety often appear successful and composed. We may not have the problems that other neurodiverse people have because we're able to successfuly maintain jobs, relationships, and daily responsibilities. But the reality is that underneath, we are struggling.
We can mask our struggles by appearing calm and composed, or overly confident or positive.
The social perks of high-functioning anxiety are many.
High productivity and efficiency.
Motivation and proactive behavior.
Reliability and a strong work ethic.
These traits may benefit the individual professionally and socially, but they come at a cost. Behind this outward success, individuals often battle negative self-talk, overthinking, and a fear of failure. Left unaddressed, this can lead to burnout, chronic stress, and even physical illness.
It's completely natural to value safety and security, but when these feelings become overwhelming that they hold you back from new opportunities or start to interfere with your daily life, they can be signs of an unhealthy attachment.
"When I see an anxious person I ask myself, "What do they want? For it a person wasn't wanting something out of their own control, why would they be stricken with anxiety"
Epictetus
Recognizing Anxiety Patterns
One of the first steps in overcoming anxiety is recognizing your anxious patterns and habits. These behaviors can be subtle and often masked as positive traits like:
Perfectionism – striving for extreme organization or control, persistent effort and pursuit
People-pleasing – prioritizing others’ needs over your own.
Procrastination – delaying tasks due to fear of failure or inadequacy.
Over-preparing – obsessively planning for every scenario or timeline to maintain control or predictability (ie obsessive punctuality, strong work ethic)
It takes honest self-reflection to identify these behaviors for what they are—anxiety—and not just basic personality traits. YOU are not your anxiety.
"You are afraid of surrender because you dont want to lose control. But you never had control, all you had was anxiety"
Elizabeth Gilbert
The Energy of Anxiety
The vibration of anxiety is heightened, chaotic energy. Anxiety vibrates at a frequency of tension, restlessness, overstimulation and unease, reflecting an inner turbulence that disrupts emotional and mental balance. It’s as though the body and mind are caught in a continuous loop of hyperactivity, with nervous energy surging through, making it difficult to settle or find peace. When the "fight or flight" response is activated we are kept in a state of alertness or fear.
The Anxious Neurodivergent
For neurodivergent individuals with autism or ADHD, anxiety is not something that can be switched off. It is part of the mental model at the chemical level.
Anxiety can present unique challenges due to differences in processing sensory information - including our emotions and social cues. We may experience heightened sensitivity to stimuli, making everyday situations more overwhelming and anxiety-inducing. Unexpected changes or sensory overload can quickly trigger anxiety.
"No one is the boss of you except for you. Once you realize no one else can vibrate for you then you begin to feel free no matter what is going on. If you will release all concern about how others feel about you and focus only on how you feel about them you will unearth your core understanding of who you are and discover what true freedom really is."
Abraham Hicks
Future Tripping
Anticipatory anxiety, often referred to as "future tripping," or "catastrophic thinking " is the tendency to become overwhelmed with worry or fear about events or situations that have not yet occurred. It’s a form of mental rumination where we imagine worst-case scenarios and allow those imagined fears to shape our emotions and behaviors in the present moment.
Rather than focusing on the present, we project ourselves into the future and create narratives with our vivid imaginations. This form of anxiety can be paralyzing, making it difficult to take action or enjoy the present because we’re consumed by an imagined future.
One of the dangers of anticipatory anxiety is that it can lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy. The more we focus on negative or stressful possibilities, the more we become primed to notice and react to them. This habit also keeps us stuck in a cycle of fear, preventing us from experiencing life fully.
Neuroplasticity: the brain's ability to reorganize and adapt to stress by forming new neural connections in response to learning and experience.
More often than not, the worst-case scenarios that we fear never come to pass, and even when they do, they may not unfold in the way we anticipated. Yet, the mind's tendency to imagine and dwell on these events can rob us of peace and joy in the present.
If you are prone to catastrophic thinking it can be like your brain only knows one path to take: the path of thinking the worst possible outcome. This of course will stress us, exhaust us and frustrate us. But it doesn't have to be this way!
The neural pathways in our brain are not fixed and permanent. They can be re-wired through neuroplasticity. We can learn new ways of thinking and create new neural pathways that gradually put old pathways out of service.
Lean in to discomfort. It usually means we are on the verge of mental change and breakthroughs.
"Worrying does not empty tomorrow of its troubles, it empties today of its strength."
Corrie Boom
Freedom Through Control
Anxiety often stems from a lack of control or the perception of being at the mercy of external forces. The notion that "there is no freedom without control" is highly relevant in this context. Freedom comes when we have the ability to manage one's thoughts, emotions, and reactions to stressors. When someone masters this control they are no longer at the mercy of their automatic reactions or their "free mind" running wild.
True freedom from anxiety comes through gaining control over the mind, allowing a person to break free from the cycles of worry and fear. Just as light has no meaning without darkness, overcoming anxiety requires confronting the darker aspects of our psyche—our anxious thoughts and fears—through mindful awareness.
By shining light on these shadows, we gain the wisdom to see that these thoughts do not have to control us. This mastery of our emotions is a marker of mental evolution, leading to greater clarity, better decision-making, and a more peaceful life. Mindfulness helps us discern what’s worth worrying about, freeing us from the mindless anxiety that can overwhelm us, and empowering us to respond thoughtfully to life's challenges.
“There is only one way out: You must trust existence, meaning that you feel reality is on your side. If you can experience that reality is on your side, you will have accomplished the goal of every religion, metaphysical school, and spiritual tradition.”
Deepak Chopra
The Sphere of Perception
There are some things we can control, some things we can influence, and some that we can merely observe. Clarifying what these area empowers you to take responsibility for your well-being, prioritize actionable areas where you can make a difference, helps reduce overwhelm and fosters a sense of purpose and agency.
Circle of Concern- Society, Current Events/News, Weather, Economy, Death, War, Traffic, Politics, Natural Disaster, Stranger's Actions or Behaviors, The Past
Circle of Influence- Family, Friends, Finances, Career, Health, Voting, Reputation, The Future
Circle of Control - Your thoughts, Your reactions, Your Actions, Your Choices, Your Words, Your Environment
“The beginning of freedom is the realization that you are not “the thinker.” The moment you start watching the thinker, a higher level of consciousness becomes activated. You then begin to realize that there is a vast realm of intelligence beyond thought, that thought is only a tiny aspect of that intelligence. You also realize that all the things that truly matter – beauty, love, creativity, joy, inner peace – arise from beyond the mind. You begin to awaken.”
Eckhart Tolle
Overthinking vs Underfeeling
When your nervous system is dysregulated and we are disconnected from our bodies, you can find yourself in hyperarousal (overthinking) or hypoarousal (under-feeling)—sometimes even seemingly both at once.
Overthinking happens in fight-or-flight mode, where your mind races to analyze and control everything.
Under-feeling sets in when the freeze response kicks in, leaving you emotionally numb, detached, or disconnected from your body. In this state, avoidance tendencies often develop as a way to cope with the overwhelming thoughts or the inability to feel emotions. You may avoid situations, people, or even your own feelings, leading to further disconnection and stress.
When the nervous system swings between these extremes, dissociation can occur, making it hard to stay grounded or present in the moment. You might feel mentally overwhelmed but emotionally checked out, as your body and mind struggle to stay in sync.
Time is very slow for those who wait
Very fast for those who are scared
Very long for those who lament
Very short for those who celebrate
But for those who love, time is eternal.
William Shakespeare
Radical Acceptance
In both life and business, the idea of control is often misleading. The reality is that we have limited influence over most things.
The practice of radical acceptance can be transformative in managing anxiety and worry by helping us acknowledge and embrace difficult emotions and situations without resistance or judgment. Instead of fighting against or trying to control anxiety, radical acceptance encourages us to fully experience and accept our discomfort, recognizing that some things are outside of our control.
This liberating approach reduces the additional stress of wishing things were different and helps us focus on what we can do in the present. By accepting anxiety as part of our current reality, we free ourselves from the cycle of worry, allowing more peace and clarity to emerge.
Our true strength lies in how quickly we adapt and learn from our experiences. Success isn't achieved through flawless planning or controlled execution, but through resilience, adaptability, and the ability to take valuable lessons from every situation.
Through mindfulness, emotional intelligence, and self-awareness, we can navigate the mind’s tendencies toward fear, moving closer to a more evolved state of wisdom and peace. In the end, the mastery of the mind is not about eliminating anxiety entirely but about cultivating the freedom to choose how to respond to it.
"Do not anticipate trouble, or worry about what may never happen. Keep in the sunlight."
Benjamin Franklin
Levity is the Way
For those sensitive, empaths and healers who are prone to carry the weight of the world, an energy. oflightness, buoyancy offering a counterbalance to the heaviness we often navigate mentally, physically and emotionally. This energy can act as a protective shield, helping to prevent burnout and overwhelm and allowing us to remain grounded amidst the intensity of conflict or tension. This fosters resilience, enabling healers to approach their work with clarity and optimism rather than being weighed down by sorrow or stress. Playfulness and joy are essential for replenishing energy and maintaining a healthy flow of give and take. By embracing levity, we not only preserve their own well-being but also radiate an uplifting presence that inspires healing and hope in others.
Uncertainty is part of the human experience. We aren’t Robots, Computers, Controllers, Fixers, Reactors or Responders. We are called BEings because are job is simply to exist, again and again. We are Creators.
The Illusion of Security
As hard as it is to hear, we are never actually “safe and secure” in any circumstance, at least by any outside measure. In fact, we are never truly in control of anything, except for how we choose to engage with the world around us.
True safety is an internal state, not something guaranteed by external circumstances. Life’s inherent unpredictability makes absolute security an illusion, so the key is to cultivate trust in your own capabilities and the ability to handle anything that comes your way.
Connect with the present moment to help shift focus from control to surrender, enabling you to embrace uncertainty and discomfort. By grounding yourself in inner strength and self-awareness, you can find freedom in letting go of the need for guarantees.
Remember, the key is in building resilience rather than avoiding stress altogether. True regulation comes from the ability to recover quickly and efficiently after stress, rather than trying to eliminate stress entirely. Resisting or running from discomfort or challenges encourages fragility and prevents growth and adaptability, which is a natural and normal part of life, and nature.
"A false sense of security is the only kind there is."
Michael Meade
Solutions & Remedies for Managing Anxiety
It's common to try to push down our anxiety and numb or suppress it any way we can: food, shopping, screens, stimulants or alcohol. But these choices often leave us suffering even more.
Overcoming anxiety involves breaking free from the cycle of worry and regaining control over your mental state.
The Solution? Start with somatic practices and techniques that support nervous system regulation:
When you bring balance to your nervous system, you reconnect with both your thoughts and emotions, reducing avoidance and leading to a greater sense of being grounded, connected, and not easily overwhelmed.
Here are several effective strategies to manage anxiety and cultivate peace of mind:
Note that everyone's anxiety manifests differently. Some approaches could inadvertently trigger your anxiety even more so its best to expirment to find what works for you.
Ask yourself, is your anxiety doing you any good?
Self-Awareness & Compassion
To break the cycle of anxiety, it's crucial to shift your focus and embrace self-compassion, unconditional self-love and acceptance.
Shift your focus from controlling the uncontrollable to managing your reactions, behaviors, choices and thoughts. This mindset shift can ease your sense of overwhelm.
Embrace imperfection and let go of the need for everything to be “just right.” This helps alleviate pressure, reduce self-judgement and promotes acceptance. Resist the urge and pressure to conform to conventional social expectations and neurotypical norms.
Trust yourself. Regularly remind yourself that you;re capable and don’t need to control everything to succeed. This growing confidence can help cope with the reality that control only provides a false sense of security.
Set realistic goals that provide a sense of direction and purpose, which can reduce anxiety. Breaking tasks into manageable steps and celebrating progress helps reduce the anxiety caused by feeling overwhelmed.
Build systems and structures such as daily routines and sensory breaks to create predictability and comfort and manage general anxiety.
Practice Radical Acceptance: Accept uncomfortable emotions, setbacks, and disagreements as natural parts of life. Resistance often amplifies suffering, while acceptance fosters peace.
Using the Change Triangle
Notice and Name the Emotions & Feelings: Pay attention to bodily sensations or feelings of anxiety and name them without judgment.
Identify Defenses: Observe any behaviors or thoughts you're using to avoid emotional discomfort.
Tune into Core Emotions: Ask yourself, "What core emotion might I be avoiding?" (joy, sadness, anger, fear, excitement, disgust, shame)
Allow and Experience: Create a safe space to feel the core emotion, whether through journaling, talking, or mindful observation.
Move Toward Connection: After processing, you are more likely to feel calm, centered, and connected to yourself and others
"Be aware of the contact between your feet and the earth. When we walk like we are rushing, we print anxiety and sorrow on the earth. We have to walk in a way where we print peace and serenity on the earth. Walk as if you are kissing the earth with your feet."
Thich Nhat Hanh
Practice Mindfulness and Meditation
Shifting out of the anxious vibration requires grounding practices that slow down this erratic energy, such as mindfulness, breathwork, or meditation, which help recalibrate the nervous system and restore a sense of calm and harmony.
Mindfulness helps focus on the present moment, reducing the endless loop of anxious thoughts about the future. This shift in awareness can break the cycle of overthinking and provide mental clarity.
Deep breathing exercises, like diaphragmatic breathing or the 4-7-8 method, also reduce anxiety by calming the nervous system. Deep breathing helps switch off the fight-or-flight response and activates the ‘rest and digest’ system instead.
Remember that underneath every fear is the truth of what we ultimately want but that we're afraid to choose because we don't want to disappoint anyone or risk rejection or failure.
Reflection & Introspection
The next time your brain jumps to the worst case scenario, challenge the catastrophic thoughts and take steps to create neural pathways by considering more realistic, balanced perspectives.
First take a moment to notice what it is doing.
Next, thank it for trying to look out for dangers and trying to keep you safe.
Question the validity of the thought by ask yourself:
What evidence do I have that this outcome will happen?
How likely is it that this will actually occur?
What other past experiences do I have where my fears didn’t actually materialize?
What if I couldn't fail or mess this up? What would I choose if I had no fear?
Then, try to think of one OTHER possible explanation for whatever it is you are worrying about. You don’t have to believe this new thought, or think it for long but while you are, just imagine yourself forging a new pathway in your mind.
Feel proud for making progress in your "trail cleanup" for the day, knowing that over time the new path will start to clear and get easier to navigate, and the old path will be grown over.
No matter what happens in life, I’ll be okay. I am cultivating confidence within myself that comes from deep knowing and trust.
Move Your Body
Exercise is a powerful tool for managing anxiety. Physical activities, whether it's jogging, dance or yoga, stimulate the production of endorphins, the body’s natural stress relievers.
You may try to SUPPRESS your anxiety through distraction, downers, or deep slow breaths. But none of these approaches help to MOVE the Yang energy out of your body and regulate the nervous system.
So next time Instead of focusing on ways to escape your anxiety, lean in and focus on how you can work WITH it.
Maybe it would feel good to use your muscles, jump up and down, go for a run, dance or shake. Maybe what you need is to release your emotions with a big cry you’ve been holding in. Try whatever you need to channel the energy away from you.
Reminder: Action relieves anxiety every time. The universe doesn't reward day dreaming and stagnation. Action is the only thing moving us forward.
Eastern Approaches
Several Japanese Techniques to reduce Overthinking:
Zazen: a seated meditation to calm your mind and focus on the present moment, reducing overthinking.
Ikebana: the art of flower arranging, to cultivate mindfulness and reduce overthinking.
Shinrin-yoku: Spend time in nature with forest bathing to relax and clear your mind, reducing overthinking.
Mushin: The state of 'no mind', to achieve mental clarity and focus, letting go of overthinking.
Shoganai: Embrace the attitude of "it cannot be helped" to accept what is beyond your control and reduce overthinking.
Misogi: Purification rituals like standing under a waterfall, to clear mental clutter and reduce overthinking.
Oubaitori: Embracing your own unique journey to reduce comparing self with others about personal achievements and self-worth.
"If it's out of your hands, it should be out of your mind too."
Ivan Nuru
Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle
Anxiety thrives in environments that lack balance. A healthy diet, adequate sleep, and avoiding stimulants like caffeine and alcohol can significantly improve anxiety levels. Nutrition and lifestyle choices are crucial components in managing anxiety.
Fermented Foods: Such as yogurt, kefir, kimchi, and sauerkraut, which contain probiotics that may support GABA production.
Green Tea: Contains the amino acid L-theanine, which can increase GABA levels.
Bananas: High in magnesium, which supports GABA function.
Tryptophan-Rich Foods: Such as turkey, chicken, eggs, cheese, nuts, and seeds. Tryptophan is an amino acid that the body uses to produce serotonin.
Complex Carbohydrates: Such as whole grains, which can increase tryptophan availability in the brain.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Found in fatty fish like salmon and sardines, which can support brain health and serotonin production.
"You will never be able to experience everything so please do poetical justice to your soul and simply experience yourself"
Albert Camus
Leverage Supplements & Herbs
Supplements and herbs can help restore the natural balance of neurotransmitters like GABA and serotonin.
Herbs:
Valerian Root: Known for its calming effects and ability to increase GABA levels.
Passionflower: Helps enhance GABA activity and reduce anxiety.
Lemon Balm: Has been shown to increase GABA levels and promote relaxation.
St. John's Wort: Known to help increase serotonin levels.
Saffron: Some studies suggest it can boost serotonin production.
Rhodiola Rosea: May enhance serotonin levels and help with stress adaptation.
Supplements:
GABA : Direct supplementation can help, although its ability to cross the blood-brain barrier is debated.
5-HTP (5-Hydroxytryptophan): A direct precursor to serotonin.
Vitamin B6: Essential for the conversion of tryptophan to serotonin.
Vitamin D: Supports serotonin production, often taken in conjunction with sunlight exposure.
Professional Therapy
There’s no shame in asking for support. Talk therapy, particularly Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), has been proven to reduce anxiety by helping individuals identify and challenge negative thought patterns. Therapy can provide insight, coping strategies, and emotional support to combat anxiety.
To fear the unknown is to fear life itself. Life’s unpredictability and uncertainty is what allows for joy, beauty, spontaneity, novelty and renewal. Seeking predictability may feel safe but ultimately creates a stifling illusion that contradicts life’s dynamic nature. Accepting the wisdom of uncertaints, allows life to unfold in its fullness.
Get Fired Up
Most people don't realize that some types of Anxiety are actually intensifed due to the absence of ANGER. Both anxiety and anger are forms of hyperarousal and an overly stimulated nervous system. However anxiety is a more socially acceptable emotion because it's passive and vulnerable. The emotions of frustration and rage can sometimes be more productive than anxiety because they prompt a greater reaction. Anger actively eliminates threats and barriers to achieving safety, security, connection, or pleasure. This is why anger can lessen anxiety and fear—by removing obstacles, there’s less for anxiety to focus on and root into. However Anger can quickly turn to rage if people keep repressing or suppressing their needs or boundaries. Of course, defaulting to an expression of anger too much can lead to chronic nervous system dysregulation or emotional mismanagement, leading to problems in health and relationships, so it's important to strike a healthy balance.
Get Creative
Embrace creativity and keep your mind open, receptive, and imaginative. Any creative activity puts uncertainty to use in a "productive" way. Whether it's a blank sheet of paper or a blank canvas, starting from nothing- starting from scratch represents the true nature of life.
"Radical acceptance rests on letting go of the illusion of control and awillingness to notice and accept things as they are right now, without judgement.
Marsha Linehan
Build a Support System
Having a strong support network—whether through friends, family, or support groups—helps reduce the emotional burden of anxiety. It’s important to regularly check in with loved ones and seek out professionals for emotional guidance.
There may also be opportunities to advocate for yourself at home or work in order to reduce daily anxiety. Surround yourself with people that are patient and understanding, and create or seek psychologically safe environments where you can be vulnerable and authentic.
Anxiety is everywhere, in all of us.
The anxious parent worried about their children and wanting a world that is always safe.
The frenzied traveler wanting the weather to hold and traffic to part so they can make a flight.
The nervous investor wants the market to turn around so their investment will pay off.
Seek 'Disharmony' & Discomfort
Our constant pursuit of harmony—perfect balance, order, and alignment—can ironically create anxiety. When we are overly fixated on avoiding conflict, discomfort, or challenges, we might suppress natural dynamics or deny life's inevitable tensions.
Embrace imperfection, uncertainty, and contrast as integral parts of life. This allows us to stop resisting reality and, paradoxically, find peace. It implies that true peace isn't the absence of tension but the ability to coexist with it without being overwhelmed.
By intentionally seeking out and engaging with discomfort, you develop the ability to remain grounded in the midst of challenges, stress, anxiety and tension rather than resisting or avoiding it.
Face your fears. Growth often happens in the tension between comfort and challenge.
Testing the Waters
Take small risks to find the balance between safety and living life fully. Gradually exposing yourself to new situations that make you uncomfortable or push the boundaries of your comfort zone can help you build resilience and confidence. Commit to one small, "risky" activity each week. Low-stakes can still yield high rewards!
Social Engagement
Chat with a barista, cashier, or neighbor to practice social interaction.
Join a meetup group centered around a hobby or interest to ease into social settings.
Volunteer at a local shelter or community event to connect with others while focusing on a cause.
Accept a low-pressure social invitation, like coffee or a casual gathering.
Practice asserting your needs in everyday situations or confrontations, like asking for help or clarifying a bill.
Engage in Hard Conversations: Express your feelings and opinions openly, even if they might lead to disagreement. Embracing conflict in a constructive way can deepen relationships and lead to greater understanding.
Expose Yourself to Diverse Perspectives: Engage with people, cultures, and ideas that differ from your own in order to challenge your worldview and lead to growth.
Creative Exploration
Enroll in a class like painting, pottery, or cooking where the focus is on learning rather than performance.
Sing at an open mic night or share a poem with friends.
Try making a meal with a new type of cuisine
Physical Challenges
Take a fitness class in yoga, dance, or martial arts to engage in a group activity that promotes mindfulness and confidence.
Hike an easy new trail and gradually work up to more challenging hikes.
Mindfulness and Reflection
Explore the discomfort of dining at a restaurant or seeing a movie alone
Let go of the need for things to be perfect. Accepting flaws in yourself, others, and situations helps you build resilience and adaptability.
Attend a personal development Workshop or Retreat to practice being present in a new environment.
Lean Into Uncertainty. Life is unpredictable. Instead of trying to control every outcome, cultivate curiosity about what unfolds and be open to surprises.
Professional Development
Share your ideas in a meeting or ask a question in a supportive work setting.
Practice introducing yourself at a networking and talking about your interests or profession.
Take a course or training needed to advance your career
Travel and Exploration
Explore a nearby town or city for a new adventure without the overwhelm of a long trip. Bonus if you're solo!
Join a Group Travel Tour to explore a new place with strangers
Find yourself to free yourself.
Solving Problems from the Inside, Out
Our external problems often stem from internal conflicts, our thoughts, emotions, and beliefs. Addressing unresolved fears, self-doubt, or limiting beliefs can create a foundation for clarity and peace.
When we align our inner world through self-awareness and emotional regulation we’re better equipped to navigate difficulties in our life with confidence and creativity. When we change how we perceive and react to our problems we often find that their intensity diminishes or solutions naturally emerge.
Repeat Affirmations
Here are a few compassionate statements to explore when anxiety becomes super loud.
I am not alone. Many others navigate daily anxiety.
My thoughts are not me, or the reality. They are passing clouds.
My best looks different every day, and that's ok.
This feeling is temporary.
My nervous system is doing it's job in just trying to keep me safe
I am taking each moment as it comes.
Grounding in the Present
If you're feeling paniced, here is a simple grounding exercise to center yourself and calm your mind and body. Engage your senses to identify, notice and acknowledge the following in your surroundings:
5 things you can See
4 things you can Touch
3 things you can Hear
2 things you can Smell
1 thing you can Taste
"All your anxiety is because of your desire for harmony. Seek disharmony, then you will gain peace"
Rumi
Wrapping It Up
Anxiety can be a persistent challenge, but it is manageable with the right tools and mindset.
Incorporating practices like mindfulness, therapy, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle can transform your experience with anxiety.. Start implementing these strategies today to break free from the anxious cycle and create a life filled with peace, balance, and self-confidence.
Reducing your anxiety means you can focus on what really matters to in life… your family, friends, your art, your passions, and of course- YOURSELF.
"If you want useful thoughts, then only think about the things you can control. That automatically eliminates about 99% of your thoughts."
Erin is a certified feng shui consultant, energy healer, wellness coach and holistic growth strategist.
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