Here’s what I, feeling unapologetically anxious, can tell you about anxiety: It’s normal, it’s necessary, and it’s non-negotiable.
Like you, my emotions have been all over the place, as one after another, disaster, tragedy, and trauma have devastated lives.
Be it hurricanes, fires, shootings, or the political climate, I’ve felt increasingly anxious lately, and I suspect you have too.
Although my meditation, mindfulness, and mindset practices are helpful, my body’s vibrating at a pretty high frequency these days…even during yoga!
But instead of stressing over my anxiety and trying to feel less anxious, I declare feeling unapologetically anxious.
I decided to give anxiety my undivided, compassionate attention, stop hiding it and start sharing it.
Unapologized Anxiety
The more I unapologized (new word!) for feeling anxious, the more at ease, and whole, I felt.
See, when we resist our emotions by hiding them, it’s as if we’re ashamed of our emotional side.
In other words, denying our anxiety is a form of self-shaming, which makes us feel all the more anxious.
And as Carl Jung proclaimed, “What we resist persists.”
Now, I’m not suggesting that we indulge in anxiety; that won’t serve us either.
What I am suggesting is that we stop hiding our anxiety and apologizing for feeling anxious.
I’m empowering us to acknowledge and label with nonjudgmental compassion how we really feel.
It’s from a place of radical emotional acceptance that we can then move forward.
Authentically and aligned, we can start exploring the thoughts that are causing us to feel anxious.
This process alone can help us feel better.
And when we feel better, we simply take better actions, which inspire better outcomes.
Unapologetically Anxious
So starting today, I’m proclaiming to be unapologetically anxious.
Honoring my whole emotional self never felt better.
What about you? What are you feeling that you’re willing to “unapologize” for today?
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