Just hearing the word can create a slight spike in our nerves! But, getting to know our anxiety, like a pesky friend, can be an incredibly helpful strategy to managing it each day. A great starting point can be creating a body scan where we identify how it physically feels inside of our body when anxious- using line, shape, color, symbol, and metaphor.
From the image above we notice tightness in the chest shown by black swirling lines. A broken heart. Racing, bouncing, and spiraling thoughts. Sweaty palms. Buckled knees. A stomach in knots. Immobile legs. Anger, causing steam to blow from our ears. Avoidance. Overwhelming fear. Chaos.
Being brave enough to safely explore and confront our anxious feelings is the very first step. Tuning in to how our body reacts when anxious offers knowledge, knowledge is power, and power allows us to gain a sense of control. Over time, through identifying our triggers and practice of coping-skills, the hope is to successfully decrease anxious symptoms- freeing us up to experience more joy, creativity, peace, love, and human connection in our every day lives,