Embracing Anxiety: A Therapist’s Perspective
Worries about a variety of things, that feel difficult to control. Over-thinking and mind racing. Irritability, lack of concentration, brain fog. Muscle tension, sweating, shaking, chest pressure, dizziness. These are all classic symptoms of anxiety. If you’ve ever suffered from anxiety, you know it’s no fun. It can be distracting, disrupting, and get in the way of your life and relationships!
lts not always easy living with anxiety, but one thing I've discovered over the years is that learning to view my anxiety as a welcome piece of who I am has saved me a lot of energy that would otherwise be wasted in trying to fight against it or, worse, trying to change who I am.
Evolutionarily fear has allowed us to pay attention to possible dangers, keep ourselves safe and to survive as a species. Today anxiety allows me to do the same. It also allows me to experience true, deep empathy for my clients, family, and friends and their experiences. And it has contributed to the spontaneous and adventure-seeking part of my personality (a part of me I love!), as I seek out what I have come to call "conquerable anxieties." Maybe I can't always control the wakes-you-in-the-middle-of-the-night worries, or the sense of dread that boils up in the pit of my stomach from time to time for no apparent reason, but I sure as hell will conquer my fear to jump out of a plane, or wander a foreign country alone, or even just embrace being exactly who I am, despite fears of judgement! I don’t think I ever would have found it so exhilarating to conquer my fears, if anxiety hadn’t been telling me for years that there’s so much in life to fear, and for that I’m grateful.
What I'm trying to say is, even our tough stuff, our rough edges, and our challenges can be beautiful if we're willing to change the lens through which we view them. Now, after putting in the work in my own therapy and developing the tools to manage my anxiety, I no longer look at it as a part of me I hate. Instead of wishing it away, when it shows up I can now thank it for attempting to protect me (albeit over-zealously!) and let it know I’ve got things under control. I can use my tools and move on with my day. I can except it as a welcome part of who I am, and stop feeling at war with myself.