What’s In It For Me?
Let’s make sure we are on the same page before continuing onward. While anxiety is a part of life, it is definitely not the only part.
There is also a joyfulness to existence. A jubilation in getting to do this. A grateful exuberance that accompanies the act of living. Sure, we’re faced with a dilemma. But we also have been given a gift. And the approach ahead helps us receive it, whether we are anxious or not.
It helps us live a freer life within a wider world. It helps us experience the things we deeply want to experience. It helps us do what matters and works, even when we’re anxious. This is what the work ahead is really all about — learning to fully embrace one’s life regardless of anxiety.
There is another benefit of the approach that follows, though: predictable and measurable anxiety reduction. It is true that being anxiety-free is not a practical goal. We live in a bumpy-but-beautiful world, and anxiety is part of the package. At the same time, having low anxiety levels is very realistic.
A wonderful thing happens when we change how we relate to anxiety. It drops! It drains! It wanes! It dwindles! It attenuates, moderates, reduces, and abbreviates! Time after time, studies find that going away from anxiety strengthens anxiety, while going through it lowers it. Total peace is very hard to find in a world with built-in challenges. But when it comes to most anxiety problems, reasonable peace can be found by facing anxiety with courage.
Dylan M. Kollman, PhD
dkollman@realanxietysolutions.com
