Anxiety's Refrain (Apprehensive) Limited Edition Giclee Print

About This Piece

A common challenge I see with clients and friends is a pervasive, vague, low-grade anxiety in daily life. They’re not sure exactly what they’re worried about, but they find it difficult to operate in abundance, trust, and a feeling of resourcefulness. This feeling is draining and distracting, and though we think it helps us prepare for the future and control our environment, it’s not actually all that helpful.

But the goal isn’t necessarily to become anxiety-free, but as Brené Brown puts it, anxiety-aware. Anxiety is only useful when it is specific enough to prompt us into action in the present.

To help with understanding the anxiety, I typically ask questions like the following:

What, specifically, are you afraid will happen? 
How serious or damaging would it be if it did happen?
How likely is it to happen?
If it’s likely to happen, and would present a significant challenge if it did, how would you like to prepare now to reduce the impact if it occurs?

Most of the time, our fears are unlikely to come true, or not as catastrophic as we build them up to be in our minds. On the occasions when they are serious, we won’t help the situation with worry or rumination–only action and preparation. Once we’ve done all that’s in our control to mitigate the potential downside, we can rest and release what we can’t control.