Earlier this week, on Tuesday, I experienced an unusually strong wave of anxiety… one that lasted for several hours. Now, anxiety isn’t a new feeling for me, or for most people at this point, but it’s never particularly pleasant or comfortable. If you identify as an “empath” (see my previous post if you’re wondering if that’s you), you might be even more familiar with anxiety. Empaths tend to pick up other people’s emotions as if they are their own, and since the state of the world is at the very least chaotic and alarming right now, anxiety is definitely present in our collective consciousness. The CDC found that between August 2020 and February 2021 alone, 41.5% of the US adult population experienced anxiety or a depressive disorder; that’s well over one third of the population.
The question is: what do we do about it? How can we curb rising levels of anxiety in a world where “normal” is practically impossible to describe and hopes for a safe and sustainable future are dwindling? Before diving into my take and experience with this, I would like to point out that as a non-clinically licensed mental health professional (I’m a life and wellness coach, not a therapist), I am addressing general feelings of anxiety here and not clinically diagnosed anxiety disorders. According to the American Psychological Association, “anxiety is an emotion characterized by feelings of tension, worried thoughts and physical changes like increased blood pressure”. So let’s start there: anxiety is an emotion that brings up temporary feelings of unease and worry.
This last time for me, the feeling lasted for a couple hours and to be fair, I did have a strong cup of black tea that morning which probably extended the symptoms longer than usual as I tend to moderate my caffeine intake. So what did I do about it? First of all, I recognized what that uneasy feeling was. I did not feel like I was down or depressed, just worried and stressed about all kinds of things without feeling like I could do much about them. The National Institute of Mental Health explains that this type of “occasional anxiety is a normal part of life. Many people worry about things such as health, money, or family problems”.
After recognizing and naming it for myself, I did a few mindfulness exercises to bring my focus inward and into the present moment. For example, I started by feeling each one of my toes on the ground, then I noticed the rising and falling of my chest as I breathed and finished by gently rubbing my fingers in circles on my forehead. This connected me with my body, alleviating racing thoughts and feelings of stress. And while mindfulness is a nice tool, I personally don’t believe that it is the only tool. In fact, what I’m about to share with you is a deeper, longer-lasting perspective on how to deal with anxiety.
Ready? Buckle up and keep an open mind.
As you may or may not know, I am also a spiritual practitioner, third-generation psychic healer, and an alumna of Columbia University’s Spirit Mind and Body Institute. All that this means is that I am a spiritual person and believe in the power of intentions, universal energy and manifestation. Sounds pretty reasonable right? And the best thing about that is that I have learned to use my spiritual beliefs to cope with things like anxiety. Here is what it looks like in practice: on Tuesday, after going about the start of my day as mindfully as I could and still noticing my racing thoughts, I knew that I needed to shift energetically. I had to get myself back into a more positive, radiant vibration, which you can also call a higher state of consciousness. Making sense? At a higher state of consciousness, we feel more present, grounded and available to whatever life is presenting us with, whereas at lower states of consciousness, we become consumed by our negative thoughts and feelings.
So that’s when the choice point came: what was I going to do to tune back into what famous psychologist Dr. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi calls “flow”? Flow or optimal experience is that place from which we operate where the mind becomes clear and the heart finds its center again and we move forward in an optimal state of consciousness. That’s where the spirituality piece really comes in, because for me, the antidote to anxiety and worry about an uncontrollable future is trust. Specifically, trusting in the power of life or the Universe or God (whatever term you resonate with personally) and somehow remembering that things will work out and that I do have the resources internally and externally, to get through this.
So now my task was to figure out a way to not only remember that perspective cognitively, but actually feel it in my entire body and soul and believe it again. It’s not that I had fully lost faith or trust, but feelings of anxiety can hijack us from these moments of insight and clarity. So I asked my intuition and highest self what she needed to find “flow” again in order to come back to a place of trust in life and the answer was: surfing. Luckily for me, and probably not an accidental stroke of luck, surfing conditions were unexpectedly amicable that afternoon so I adapted my work schedule to be able to get out for a good half hour session. Coming out of the ocean afterwards, I was smiling and breathing so fully and deeply because the weight of anxiety was gone. I once again felt connected to a greater power and purpose through this short yet powerful experience in the ocean. By listening to my body and following my intuition’s guidance, I returned to a place of centeredness and flow through physical activity in nature, which Csikszentmihalyi talks a lot about in his book. Once again, the brilliant mystery of life and the Universe dawned on me, and I was left in a place of awe. That evening and next morning, as I continued to consciously raise my vibrations to a place of trust, intention and surrender, things “magically” started falling into place and everything I had been concerned about, was no longer presenting itself as a problem.
While this is only one vivid example of how having a spiritual practice or perspective can help overcome everyday experiences of anxiety, I can personally attest that I have seen it play out over and over again in similar ways in the lives of my fellow colleagues, clients and friends.
If you have any questions or are looking for guidance on how to access your own spirituality or intuitive guidance, feel free to reach out to me directly here or message me on Instagram.
