What if I told you that your racing heart, that heavy, tingling feeling in your arms and legs, the tightness in your throat, the shakiness through your body are EXACTLY what you need to pay attention to when you're anxious?
I'm not kidding.
If you're sick and tired of feeling overwhelmed, anxious, and stuck in a cycle of negative thoughts and you have no idea how to calm down and think clearly, you're in the right place and you're hearing from the right person.
After 30 years of living with an anxiety disorder,
almost 9 years of recovering from chronic daily anxiety,
and five years of helping other people through coaching,
I've learned a thing or two about how to manage anxiety.
A couple of years ago, I started recording the More Than Anxiety Podcast. I've recorded over 100 episodes to help ambitious women learn more about how anxiety work, how to stop feeling overwhelmed, how to stop believing intrusive thoughts, how to make friends in your 30's and 40's. I've talked with art and narrative therapists, yoga teachers, holistic practitioners, EMDR psychologists, and CBD multi-level marketers.
Do you know what I've learned?
That every single one of these things can help you feel better.
As I scrolled through my episodes, curiously looking for stats and trends that I'm honestly not sure how to track, I went back to my very first episode to remember how I began and to see what has changed in my podcast, but even more in my beliefs and process as a coach.
Episode 1 is my most listened to episode and the message in that episode is still my first step when helping clients when they say, "I don't know why I'm so anxious."
This isn't a surprise to me.
Episode 1 is PSYC 101 and
knowing what is happening inside your brain and body is powerful!
If you've never taken a psychology class I make it simple and easy to understand.
What I know as a person who's done the work of recovering from anxiety myself and as a seasoned coach, is that your brain loves certainty
And while life doesn't offer us much in the way of certainty, Science does.
The Science Behind Anxious Thoughts
I took Psychology in college.
I was also overwhelmingly anxious 90% of the time while I as there, so it wasn't easy and a lot of it didn't stick.
However, I got a second chance to learn about how brains work and what they do while getting my coaching certifications. It was a game changer.
Knowing why I couldn't stop thinking anxious thoughts helped launch me forward during the early stages of healing from anxiety becuase I finally understood where emotions come from and how different parts of the brain work together to keep you alive.
Even when the danger isn't real.
The truth is, most of your brain isn't able to think.
When you're anxious, the feelings in your body and the thoughts you have feel out of control because the emotional and reactive parts of the brain are in charge. The more you try to think the more anxious you feel.
Knowing some basic facts about what is going on in your brain explains it all.
Here's a simplified explaination of why thinking doesn't help when you're anxious.
The amygdala can't think and it's super fast: This tiny part of your brain that signals the rest of your body to fill you full of adrenaline, cortisol, etc - the hormones that make you FEEL anxious acts first. It's fast and it can't think.
The hippocampus, the part of your brain that controls emotions, memories, and that is connected to your senses helps you process anxiety. It also doesn't think.: It also keeps track of everything that's ever made you anxious so you can feel it again (and again). It's a great record keeper and emotional processor, but again, it doesn't think - it feels.
The frontal lobe shuts down when you're anxious. The frontal lobe, the thinking and rationalizing part of your brain is off when you're in fight or flight. This is why you can't think your way out of an anxious spiral.
Using Your Body to Stop Anxious Thoughts
Your thoughts are important but not when you're anxious. Since the thinking part of your brain has switched off, you have to find a different way out of that anxiety spiral and the best way is by using your body.
Our bodies hold the key to overcoming anxiety. By learning to connect with your emotions and how your body feels, you can break the cycle of negative thinking and feeling.
This is the foundation of how I help my clients stop overthinking and feeling overwhelmed. They learn to use their body as an off ramp so they can choose what they want to do instead of what their anxious thoughts tell them to do.
This is how it's done.
Mind-Body Connection: Discover how your mind and body are interconnected and how you can use this connection to trust yourself and build confidence - even when you're anxious.
Somatic Experiencing: Learn techniques to process emotions so they move in and out of your life and your body more quickly.
Understand your Thoughts: Discover the hidden thoughts that keep you feeling anxious and sabotaging yourself and choose new thoughts with a calm body and mind.
Would You Agree?
It would be SO MUCH EASIER to knock out your goals (and your to-do list) and to enjoy your life if you had some support, accountability, and insight to help you
Stop overthinking and trust your decisions
Break free from overwhelm by creating work-life balance
Feel Confident in your value in all areas of your life
Trust yourself and believe in your abilities
Start having fun again and find more joy in your life
So much of what makes you miserable is based in anxious, fear-based thoughts and it's not necessary. If you're ready to take the next step I can help.
My friend, you have to learn to trust your body and use it to your advantage instead of letting the feeling of anxiety throw you into a downward spiral.
This one change opens up doors to more creativity, better relationships, balancing your work and personal life, and presence in your life. The process simple and the results are plentiful.
Cheering for you.
Megan
To learn more about Brain Science and Self-Care for Anxiety Relief,
תגובות