The Anxiety Practitioner
Insights and practical strategies that transformed my relationship with anxiety from pain to power. Read previous editions below and subscribe for new content 👇
how spontaneous goals prepare you for battle against anxiety
A few weeks ago an 8th grader kicked my ass. Around mile 4 on a 6 mile run, I noticed someone about to pass me over my right shoulder. Before I knew it, a young boy who looked around Middle School age, flew by me, his scrawny legs and lanky frame in tight form propelling him forward. I waited about 100 yards before turning on the jets and picking up my pace, confident I could run him down. I was clocking a pace under 8 minutes per mile—significantly faster than my typical 8:30-8:45 pace....
the formula even a 6 year old could use to beat anxiety
My life was thrown into chaos at 6 years old. My sister was born. My parents split. And I moved not once, but twice into unfamiliar houses in an unfamiliar city. My subconscious adopted the belief that I wasn't safe and the world was a scary place. By the time I was a teenager, this belief had crystallized and anxiety completely controlled my worldview. I used to be afraid to sleep in my own bed. I used to have low self-esteem and no confidence. I used to try and fit in by people-pleasing. It...
without the problem of anxiety your life becomes possible
This week was the anniversary of my vasectomy surgery. If you know anything about vasectomy you know it's a low risk, outpatient surgery with little to no pain. At least that's what most people experience. My surgery recovery was anything but normal. I experienced a double infection, excruciating pain, and debilitating physical limitations that make it impossible to even walk at times. I've written about the anxiety I've experienced in the past related to my wife's health, but in the...
anxiety loves when you're distracted
A 45lb plate at Planet Fitness (cheap gym) and a 45lb plate at Equinox (expensive gym) are both 45lbs. You can have the goal of getting in shape and do it any number of ways. The mechanism doesn't matter. The result does. It doesn't matter if you lift at Planet Fitness or go to Equinox. What actually builds muscle and gets you in shape is the work of lifting the plate—wherever that plate may be. If the result we want is to become less anxious, all that matters is the work to get there....
free yourself from the grip of anxiety
Today is Independence Day in the United States. It's the day our country declared its cessation of being a colony to Great Britain in 1776. Powerful stuff right? Independence. Freedom. These words define not only our country's history, but influence the course of our own lives. I'm 38. I've been anxious my whole life and have worked for decades on managing it. Until recently, I was not free. In fact, the colonization of anxiety in my mind was so bad, it was all I knew for periods of time as a...
becoming open about your anxiety is the only way
I received this comment on an introduction post I made for a creator community I'm in. This isn't the first time I've received messages like this. As I thought about why more people aren't this open about their lives, it dawned on me that I too was closed off and guarded for the majority of my life. But now? I don't mind bringing others along to explore the dark crevices of my conditioned mind. So why don't I care? It starts with defining what vulnerability means to me. Vulnerability means...
how hidden anxiety is killing your joy
Hidden anxiety is killing your joy—or at minimum, diminishing your ability to feel at peace. Humans are exceptional habituators. Our species brain is unique in its ability to filter out over 99.99% of the sensory input it receives, allowing us to focus on what is most relevant and important for survival. This means we stick to what we know. And if what we know is anxiety, whether conscious or subconscious, we filter out stimuli that would lead to freeing ourselves naturally. In other words,...
the cost of letting anxiety bury you for 17 years
I've never been able to completely rid myself of anxiety. Despite developing various coping mechanisms throughout my life, banishing anxiety entirely has been impossible for me. There have been periods of time where it recedes to the nose bleeds, but it’s still in the stadium, lurking in the background. Then inevitably it rises up like a phoenix and comes roaring back like it never left. That’s what strikes me most about anxiety—it feels the exact same at 37 as it did when I was 7. Shortly...
anxiety and worry are not the same thing
Anxiety and worry are not the same thing. People throw around the word "anxiety" as a catchall when what they really mean is "worry" or general concern. Our lexicon has become watered down to the point where TV show plots are "giving people anxiety." I think this is a phenomenon worth paying attention to and here's why. People's lack of discretion and tact in defining terms causes confusion while communicating one's experience. This leads to more anxiety, more isolation, and less community...
you aren't serious about your anxiety
You aren't serious about your anxiety and I'll prove it to you with a story. It was like a scripted horror movie scene and I was the helpless victim quivering behind the tool shed. Not 1, not 2, or even three, but FOUR boxes of peanut M&Ms surrounded our seats in the theater that humid spring evening. We were there to see the musical production of Disney's "Frozen" - (an incredible show by the way) and had just taken our seats in the Loge. Of course the concession stand only served peanut...
Insights and practical strategies that transformed my relationship with anxiety from pain to power. Read previous editions below and subscribe for new content 👇