The Biggest Little Book About Hope by Kathryn Goetzke

Author:Kathryn Goetzke [Kathryn Goetzke]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Morgan James Publishing
Published: 2022-09-15T00:00:00+00:00

WORRY AND ANXIETY

Hold your head high, stick your chest out. You can make it. It gets dark sometimes, but morning comes. Keep hope alive.

—Jesse Jackson

Unmanaged worry leads to anxiety, which then leads to a state of panic. Worry is in the mind, which is usually preoccupied with a future event that may or may not come to be. This emotion is often incredibly unhelpful, as it keeps us out of the present moment.

My panic attacks from speaking came from worry. A thought would come to my mind and I’d worry over tiny details, which led to the emotion escalating. My breaths arrived in short bursts before stopping entirely, alerting my autonomic nervous system. In a panic, I’d sit frozen throughout a meeting, all from worry.

Worries keep us up at night, keep our system in a state of high alert, and are wasted energy since they aren’t in our control. Letting worry take you into a state of stress and anxiety is an ineffective use of the emotion. An effective use of worry is to attach it to a smart goal and find a solution.

My public speaking anxieties escalated to worrying constantly about speaking, presentations, and conversations. Stressing for days, I’d escape through my addictions and do everything possible to avoid situations where I would have to speak.

Everything changed when I learned how to start breathing and become present.

One of our biggest challenges in life is maintaining a state of presence. Practices like meditation and mindfulness help us calm our minds, but how do we really engage in life? How can we not just be in our bodies, but become more active participants? How could I take what I learned in meditation and apply it to life?

One of the easiest ways to become present is to engage the senses (Stern, 2004).

If I am speaking about an emotional subject and feel myself welling up with tears, I breathe through and give myself a moment. It has been 30 years, and I still cry about my dad when I talk. I miss him so much. I want him here, helping me with my business. I need his financial expertise, as that was his brilliance.

However, when I feel my mind taking over, again leaving the present and letting my thoughts run wild, I anchor back down into the present. I use my breath and the senses of smell, touch, sight, sound, or taste to anchor myself. I hold onto the podium. I feel my feet on the floor. I anchor myself in the present.

Recall something you’re worried about: bills, health, relationship issues, or something else. Upon thinking of that worry, how does your heart react? How does your body feel? Where do you feel it?

If you find yourself getting upset at the thought, touch something, right now. Feel it and explore the sensations. Focus on that feeling. You can also try it with scent, sound, taste, or sight. Do what feels best.

Doing that small exercise may bring you to a place where you are not thinking about the past or the future—you are in The Now.

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