Anxiety, we all have it from time to time. Though rarely welcomed, it can be a healthy response to life’s challenges and is a natural human response. In fact, anxiety acts as our body’s alarm system, allowing us to anticipate when we are in danger or in harm’s way. But if left unchecked, anxiety can be an overwhelming, never-ending cycle of worry that keeps us from understanding important parts of ourselves.
If you experience anxiety, ask yourself this:
If your mind wasn’t full of these current ANXIOUS thoughts, what would you think about? Although not necessarily pleasant, anxiety can serve as a distraction from dealing with what really needs to be addressed at the core.
Here are some signs that worry might be problematic in your life:
Chronically on alert and thinking about potential future dangers or threats.
Consistently making negative predictions about the future.
Tend to overestimate the likelihood that something bad will happen.
Repeat worried thoughts over and over again in your head.
How can I tell if my anxiety is normal?
Anxiety is problematic when it is constant and goes unresolved, interfering with your lifestyle and relationships. An anxiety disorder can keep a person from coping with life’s ups and downs and make a person feel anxious most of the time, sometimes without any identifiable cause.
If this sounds like your current experience with anxiety, perhaps it’s time to change your relationship with anxiety by altering your perspective on it.
You don’t have to go it alone. Seeking professional care for your anxiety can provide hope and clarity on how to best navigate it.
https://mindfulness-center.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/uday-mittal-bwKtz4YVtmA-unsplash-scaled.jpg17092560The Mindfulness Centerhttps://mindfulness-center.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/logo-small.pngThe Mindfulness Center2021-06-25 16:55:302021-06-25 16:58:37Worry Too Much?
“Achievement is not about what you’ve done, but what you gained from your experience.” Lynn Hill
Wow. What a wake-up call!
I’m a highly motivated, driven person. I like to say “Yes!” to new experiences. I’d even say I do things just to say I’ve done them. You could call me an overachiever. And yet, what have I gained from that? What an excellent question.
What I gain is an openness to try new things, to change, to new ideas that are different from mine, to people who are different from me.
What I gain is fearlessness, which has been a focus of mine for a few decades now.
What I gain is the richness of life and all the many flavors it has to offer.
What I gain is seeing life in full color.
What I gain is the Feeling of Being Alive.
When was the last time you felt fully alive? When you felt fully present and grateful for what was right in front of you? Or are you feeling that hamster wheel feeling of working so hard and not getting anywhere new or different?
Want to feel more alive? Wonderful! Start saying “Yes!” to new experiences and ideas! Step outside of your comfort zone just 5 or 10% and say, “Yes!” to yourself!
https://mindfulness-center.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/nicola-styles-qWFMm1iRJkM-unsplash-scaled.jpg25602560The Mindfulness Centerhttps://mindfulness-center.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/logo-small.pngThe Mindfulness Center2021-06-11 14:35:562021-06-11 14:35:56A Message For All Us Overachievers
Quietly, imperceptibly, almost without my having knowing it.
I relaxed.
Got comfortable with myself.
I began enjoying myself, accepting myself, accepting life.
Liking life.
I found joy.
Somewhere along your journey, it will happen to you…
Don’t worry about finding joy.
Because somewhere along your journey, joy will find you.”
-Melody Beattie “Journey to the Heart”
Are we there yet?
(I write this thinking of the laughing/crying emoji I’d love to post right after it!)
Have you arrived at this destination of joy? Is it an actual location, or rather a state of mind? Do we take residence in it or are we just here for a quick visit, perhaps a vacation from reality? Are these questions making you feel anxious or stressed, perhaps with the pressure of needing to accomplish this? Or perhaps you think and feel, “AMEN! Done!”
I am right here with you!
I’m riding the rollercoaster of life, just like you. I still wrestle with the “shoulds” that still reside in me from my family of origin and societal pressures. We are not perfect. We will never be perfect. Frankly, I’m done with trying to be perfect. I don’t have the energy for that anymore. And yet it still creeps in, in moments of stress, illness, quiet, like a little leak of air through a window. Just enough to catch my attention.
I allow myself to give it a touch of attention. I notice a frank conversation happening inside my head starting, “Ok, I’m feeling pressure to do the ‘right’ thing here.” And I tell myself gently, yet firmly, “There is no ‘right’ thing here.” And I respond gratefully, “Oh right, thanks for that reminder, I needed that.”
Then I ask myself, “How long do I want to give this attention? How much energy do I have to give this?”
The second answer gets me and I say, “Zero.” I refocus my attention away from the pressure of perfection and follow up with, “What is it you really need and/or want (to do, think, feel) right now?” Sensing that the best thing for me in this moment is some quiet, some reflection, some “me time.” I know I have options because I’ve been here before and I know what helps. I could read, take a bath, make some tea, get a glass of water, reflect, write, go for a walk, watch Netflix. I think, “Wow! Those are a lot of options!” And I wait a moment to see which one feels like the best option in this moment. I know I can always change my mind and try something else.
One place I find Joy is in the quiet whispers of my heart asking to be cared for, nurtured, and nourished. I know that no one knows me as well as I know myself and that I can nourish and nurture myself in many wonderful ways. This feels freeing to me. I’m not relying on someone else to notice I need something and come to my rescue and give me what I’m needing. I rely on my own strength to go ahead and give it to myself.
Oftentimes mid-life is about reevaluation.
We look back on the last forty (or fifty!) years and assess if we want to continue doing life the same way for the next forty-plus years.
The first forty-plus years have offered us a wonderful foundation of life lessons full of newness and loss. These first forty years have primed us for this moment of reevaluation. We may not have known that we had a choice in how we did those first forty years. Now we are old enough and have been adulting long enough to know what works for us and what doesn’t work for us. We know who we are and what feels best to us. And we’re beginning to not be afraid to speak our truth. This is exactly where you find Joy. In the speaking of your Truth. The freedom to own your wants and needs. The embracing of “Not giving a Shit” what people think of me. And it feels wonderful.
Our free book giveaway this month is Untamed by Glennon Doyle. It addresses this very theme of speaking one’s Truth and taking all the responsibility and ownership of what comes with that. It speaks for bravery and freedom. And reminds us, “We can do hard things!”
https://mindfulness-center.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/sasha-freemind-frq5Q6Ne9k4-unsplash-scaled.jpg17072560Megan Bartleyhttps://mindfulness-center.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/logo-small.pngMegan Bartley2021-06-04 16:36:272021-06-04 16:51:25Untamed Joy
