Anxiety
A word that rarely existed when I was a boy…..and I don’t mean in my “boy world”, I mean in the greater world. (Yes, the word existed but it did not hold the power nor the common use we find today).
It’s very hard pressed to find someone these days that does not classify themselves as anxious, many daily, some even hourly.
It’s an epidemic.
We used to be stressed, now we are anxious.
I looked up the definition….
From a health perspective – Anxiety is your body’s natural response to stress. It’s a feeling of fear or apprehension about what’s to come. The first day of school, going to a job interview, or giving a speech may cause most people to feel fearful and nervous.
From a psychology perspective – Anxiety is an emotion characterized by feelings of tension, worried thoughts and physical changes like increased blood pressure. People with anxiety disorders usually have recurring intrusive thoughts or concerns.
Both definitions have their roots in the future……meaning anxiety is commonly held to mean worried/confused/fear-based thoughts of the possibilities of the future……sometimes an event, sometimes a direction, sometimes more general….
But almost always based on the illusory nature of a potential future situation and subsequent experience/relationship/perception/interpretation with that experience.
Let’s explore a few areas….
Misinterpret these as you will
The more power we give to something the more influence and “control” we allow it over us.
The language we use around “concepts” and “defined feelings” …like anxiety…. influences how we feel about these things, and more importantly how we feel about ourselves and how much power we inhabit within ourselves.
eg. “I am an anxious person”, “I have anxiety” significantly diminish our personal power and provide larger obstacles to overcome than alternative frameworks and language.
(note – I am not denying the existence of anxiety here, I am challenging the perception for potential benefit)
Something that has worked exceptionally well for myself and for many of my clients is in how we perceive anxiety, how we feel it, how we process it, and what it means to us……the feeling it gives us and the choices/actions we make within that frame.
Here is something to open the door of possibility to….
Welcome anxiety, don’t push it away, don’t suppress it.
See it as excitement for the unknown and the potential possibility contained within the future and within oneself
Feel it as your inner power/energy rising up to meet the expectations and requirements of future events and possible scenarios….
See it as a strength, a natural in-built mechanism to perform well as you….. lean in to the your trust within yourself and your ability to perform, create, adapt, learn and grow.
Welcome the tension, the “discomfort”, don’t “run away” from it.
Become aware of the illusory nature of the future and the focus/power we are feeding it with.
The power we are giving away to the external (and illusory) rather than keeping it for ourself and this present moment……the lack of trust within self that we are experiencing, the questioning of our capabilities to handle what the future has in store for us…
Recognise the beautiful inbuilt nature we have to prepare ourselves for potential future scenarios. Welcome this and recognise the gift that it is.
An exciting new opportunity for growth
A brilliant “unknown” area to explore
A fantastic allowance to express our creativity and genius
A wonderful arena to display our prowess
A learning experience and exploration of the most beautiful thing in our lives…..our SELF
ANXIETY – What is it to you?
