18. what anxiety can teach us...

​18.
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Making Friends with Anxiety

Anxiety is one of the most common emotional experiences today.

And the thing is - chances are it is not going away. In fact, rates are increasing. We all have our coping ways - food, social media, alcohol, watching movies, social distancing, exercise. Some coping methods are good, some are not. But instead of pushing it away, we can learn to make friends with it.

Research shows that avoiding or suppressing anxiety only amplifies it over time (Hayes et al., 2012). The thing is… anxiety is a natural, protective response to stress. It signals that something important is at stake.

Trying to push it away does not make it disappear; it simply builds resistance and increases tension. By approaching it with curiosity, we can reduce its power and by truly understanding it - we can actually use it to our advantage. I know, it sounds unheard of.

To first lower our resistance to anxiety - breath work mediations usually help, as we let ourselves to sit in the discomfort without judgement. Soon after, there is a powerful shift.

We are able to hear the message anxiety has for us. It is usually warning us, thinking it is protecting us. It only tries to shelter us from a perceived danger. And once we listen, we can also hear the actions it asks us to take.

Learning to coexist with anxiety builds emotional resilience, empowering us to manage life’s challenges more effectively, with greater confidence. It’s not about eliminating anxiety. It is about changing our relationship with it and letting it help us - is a far more mature way forward.

So you mean, there is a message behind the anxiety I am feeling?
                Yes, always. It is either that we are disconnected or that we…