I grew up with anxiety around me. It was in the air, in the voices of the adults around me. I know anxiety well.
Anxiety still visits me when I have an interview, when I have to do a video recording, or when I have to do something outside my comfort zone.
Anxiety is my old friend. When I was younger, I ran from it. I ran from the feeling of nausea, the rapid, negative thinking, the sense of impending doom. I didn’t know what else to do.
Now anxiety and I are friends. I greet him at the door of my consciousness. I welcome him in. “Sit down and put up your feet, old friend. You look worried and tired; sit and rest. Tell me all of your worries. Let me carry some of your load.”
On my healing journey, I have used all of the tools above and many I still use. The nurturing parent part of me helps me to use them in a caring and systematic way. Practising these techniques was PART of the journey for me.
The next part was befriending my anxiety and getting to know him intimately, his triggers, his likes and dislikes, getting to know what he needs when he is scared.
Anxiety is usually trying to tell me something or protect me. It is up to me to listen.
What have you found the most helpful in stopping yourself from catastrophising? I’d love to hear in the comments.
Love, Jen
