Bee hive in your chest?

Hey lovey,

It’s time to talk about anxiety.

Yes, that’s the bee hive in your chest. 

Or the twist in your gut.

Or the upset stomach.

Or the inability to sleep because your mind won’t stop. 

Or the inability to focus on one freaking thing at a time (even if you REALLY want to).

It really can be anything that makes you feel unsettled, uncertain, uneasy or flat out scared.

And the world has been giving us so many opportunities to feel anxious lately.

Sigh… 

So, let’s talk about it.

If you’re feeling anxious, I see you. 

(((hug)))

It can be a lot. 

What I’m about to share is my story about how I brought my ongoing anxiety down from an 11 to a 2 on most days.

Now listen babe, every body and every person is unique and having their own experience. 

I hope you’ll see this story as a way I helped myself and maybe it’ll lighten the anxiety in your life. 

(If you’re thinking… mmm, doubtful, I highly recommend an energy work session for you asap. You can book one here.)

I’m going to share my hot takes on how I’ve dealt with my anxiety and how I’ve helped my clients over the years by helping them change their thoughts, emotions, and therefore behavior. 

What I’ve noticed about anxiety within myself and my clients is that it often stems from our subconscious habits.

For me, for example, I didn’t allow enough travel time for appointments so I often felt anxiety about arriving on time.

I wouldn’t check my bank accounts so I felt anxiety about money.

I wouldn’t inquire with a friend if they were stand-offish if they were okay or if it was something I had done—instead I would assume the worst and tie myself in knots.

I would put projects off until the last minute so I’d be rushing and therefore anxious.

I would expose myself to mainstream media and throw me into a mental and emotional tailspin.

I would drink too much coffee and then not be able to sleep at night. I would be overtired the next day and consequently, anxious about not being able to function. 

I would overbook myself and then run from social function to social function without fully enjoying myself at any gathering. 

I would scroll on social media late into the night and begin the domino effect of worrying, not sleeping well, underperforming the next day. 

I would obsess about things I couldn’t control. 

And lastly, I ran my life by committee - asking everything what they thought I should do instead of trusting myself.

In short, through my regularly, daily habits I was making myself an anxious mess. 

Me. 

I did it.

To myself. 

For YEARS.

I see my clients do this too. 

I’ll talk with a client and they’ll tell me they’re feeling anxious and then they’ll describe three or four things they are actively doing to themselves to cause the anxiety.

But here’s the thing: they have NO IDEA they’re doing the things that cause anxiety.

Sometimes when I suggest things that might help them feel more peaceful, the idea never occurred to them. 

In order to bring down your anxiety, you have to figure out what the heck you’re doing to cause it. 

There was a moment when I realized that I was the common denominator in my relentless anxiety. 

I was pushing myself to the brink and my BODY was trying to get me to please (for the love of God) stop by making me feel so overwhelmed (i.e. anxious). 

I thought it was the world making me feel anxious, but it wasn’t the world. 

It was me.

The reason why I’m telling you about my anxiety ridden life was because once I realized what I was putting myself through, a HUGE light bulb went off for me.

I thought, “Omg… don’t have to live this way.”

I don’t!

I started giving myself more time to get to appointments. I started tuning into how my body felt about my social calendar for the week and canceling or rescheduling anything that made me feel overwhelmed. (tuning into the body is KEY here) I paid close attention to when my shoulders would get tight at work and I’d take a break. I stopped looking at my phone for a full hour before bed. I took as many breaks from social media and the news as I needed. I went to bed earlier and earlier until I felt good in the morning. 

And - I started doing MASSIVE clearings of the emotions trapped in my body that were making me feel anxious. <<< this changed also helped me change my habits (it’s a beautiful cycle)

[Curious if your anxiety can be diminished with an energy work session? Book one here to find out.]

In short, I started making changes according to how I felt instead of any other reason. 

My body had been screaming at me for years to give it a rest, to give it time, to go at a slower pace, to stop exposing it to violence and tragedy, to take more breaks… and so I decided to value myself and stop. 

I’m hoping through sharing my story you’ll see that you don’t have to live with anxiety (not at an 11 anyway) for the rest of your life. 

You can change. You can feel better. You can do it with changing little things over time. 

Trust. You can. 

Until next week love,

Rebecca*