Anxiety is Your Friend

As a therapist focused on anxiety, clients often come to me hoping to feel less anxious. Anxiety can be extremely uncomfortable and people understandably want to experience less of it. I certainly understand and relate to this desire and it is often very possible to lower one’s anxiety level. But a paradox exists here: accepting the inevitability of anxiety is a necessary part of feeling less anxious.

Anxiety is an inherent part of the human experience. Just like physical pain, anxiety is a vital signal that has kept humans safe and upright for millennia. In the modern world, some of the ancient threats are less present, but new ones have emerged. So despite the relative dearth of bear attacks, we still have plenty of things to feel anxious about.

But anxiety doesn’t always point to what is dangerous. Sometimes it highlights things we are uncomfortable with, but could master if we approached. In other words, it shows us where the growth is.

Perhaps we are anxious about being vulnerable with a partner. Or we are anxious about taking the next step in our career. Or maybe we are anxious about developing a new hobby or skill that we have been quietly watching on Youtube for the past two years. These anxieties can freeze us in place, but they don’t have to. We can move towards them and master them.

If you are ready to stop letting your anxieties stifle you and you are looking for therapy or coaching to grow resilient to them, please reach out.