Anxiety: Are you underestimating how well you actually cope?

If you are in a season of feeling very anxious, I see you. Whether it’s about your job, your relationship, your future, your kids, you name it, it can be very uncomfortable to sit with.

For some, just reading the word “anxiety” automatically makes you feel the worry, fear, and apprehension that defines it. I used to see anxiety as the worst possible feeling. I wanted it gone. My heart would race and I would feel this pit growing in my stomach as I drove to a job I hated. I’d panic and wouldn’t slow down long enough to reflect on what it was trying to tell me.

That was the problem though. I needed to slow down and listen to my anxiety. By running from it and avoiding it, I wasn’t making any life changes. I was overestimating the threat of each day at work and underestimating myself and my ability to cope.

This is key. According to author Sissy Goff of Raising Worry-Free Girls, people with anxiety overestimate the threat and underestimate themselves and their ability to cope.

Take a moment to slow down and notice your own anxiety. What does it feel like? If you had a conversation with it, what would your anxiety be telling you? Thank it for its wisdom as an emotion that’s there protecting you and helping you figure out what your life goals are.

I believe that it feels terrible to have anxiety and I also believe in you. You have the courage to face it in order to gain clarity on what you need to be doing to feel better.