What Your Anxiety Is Trying To Tell You

Anxiety is not the problem, but a signal your body uses to communicate. Are you willing to listen and learn? In this track you will practice listening to your body's communication and identifying one place you may want to set a boundary.

Transcript

Hi, I'm Brooke James, A licensed marriage and family therapist. Welcome. So before we begin, I want you to take one slow breath in through your nose and out through your mouth. Just let that be your signal that we're slowing down for a few minutes. Today I want to offer you a reframe around anxiety. If you're someone who struggles with boundaries, Chances are anxiety is already quite familiar to you, And I want to suggest that your anxiety may not be the problem. It might actually be the signal. Here's what I mean. Your body is incredibly intelligent. When you are up against something that asks you to go beyond what is reasonable for you, Your body responds. Your chest tightens, Your jaw holds tension, Your stomach knows before your mind does. That's anxiety doing its job. It's pointing somewhere, And often it's pointing directly to a place where a boundary is needed. Think about a situation in your life right now where you feel that low hum of anxiety. Maybe it's a relationship, It's a commitment you made that you're already dreading. Maybe it's something you keep agreeing to even when every part of you wants to say no. Go ahead and bring one of those to mind. I want you to place your hand over your chest and just notice what's there. Not to fix it, Just to acknowledge it. What if that feeling isn't something to push past? What if it's actually just information? Anxiety will often show up right at the place where your limit is being approached. And when we blow past that signal, When we override it to avoid disappointing someone or to sidestep that social friction, We pay a very hefty price. We get more tired, More resentful, More disconnected from ourselves. But when we learn to listen to it, Anxiety becomes one of our clearest guides. So today I want to leave you with one simple question to sit with. Where in your life is anxiety showing up? And what might it be trying to tell you about a boundary that needs your attention? You don't have to have the answer right now. Just be willing to ask the question. Be willing to listen to your body. Take one more breath with me. In through the nose and out through the mouth. You're more connected to yourself than you think. Thanks for being here. If you're up for it, Feel free to share what came up for you with this prompt. Take care.