9 Little Ways To Turn Anxiety Into Your Life's Purpose
Make life go smoother and feel less overwhelmed.
PeopleImages Yuri A | Bombdesign via Canva It's natural to want to fight your anxiety, but emotions, and thoughts are there to help you to live your life well if you just listen to them. They let you know when you are trying to do too much. They let you know when you have become unbalanced. They let you know when you need to make changes in your life that will help your well-being.
They also help us find meaning, purpose, and joy in life, showing us where our passions and gifts are. They lead you on a path to self-inquiry. They help you stay healthy. When all your channels are open, life flows more easily.
When our three channels are open — body, emotions, and thoughts — we have all we need to make our way in your world.
Nine ways to let your anxiety guide you toward a happier future.
1. Listen to your body
Your body is your friend! All the discomfort you are feeling is your body calling you to attention by giving you physical signs of anxiety as clues.
Your body communicates with you through all the sensations you experience, such as an upset stomach, tension in your shoulders, relaxed muscles, or a sensation of energy (vitality) moving around your whole body. You will feel a sense of relief every time you listen to your internal wisdom.
2. Feel your heart
Your heart is your path to intimacy with yourself and others. If your heart is feeling tender and hurt, it is calling for your attention. Your heart needs to be heard.
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When you risk feeling what is going on with your emotions, you will be rewarded with peace within you that nothing else can provide. A tender heart may lead to feelings of anxiety, but, more importantly, it is a sign of your humanity and a guide for your soul.
3. Quiet your mind
Does your mind feel out of control? You might be suffering from "monkey mind." Your mind has most likely caught up with your ego going to great extremes to try to protect you. It may feel like a hurricane is blowing through you.
It is a reminder to find some sort of practice to quiet your mind. We all need our egos to survive, but often, our egos get in the way limiting us in how we respond to life. You have opportunities coming up in your life that will surprise you and delight you!
4. Get help
Your discomfort is calling you to risk new ways of being. We would never grow emotionally and spiritually unless we experienced some sort of struggle, discomfort, and/or pain.
Most of us grow the most during times of distress in our lives. It motivates us to seek the help we need. It motivates us to take risks, trying out new ways of being that maybe a few weeks ago felt too overwhelming.
5. Pay attention to your muscles
The muscles in our body show us when we are happy, relaxed, upset, angry, or frustrated. Often, our muscles are more honest about what is going on inside us than what are head convinces us to think.
Unless we are sick, the muscles don’t lie. So, paying attention to the sensations of our muscles gives us great wisdom into what is going on inside us. Do you have a monkey mind?
6. Get enough sleep
Sleepless nights are not pleasant, especially when they continue for days. Your inner self is probably trying desperately to control everything in your life. The truth is that there is much in your life that you can not control.
You need to learn the difference between what you can change and what you can not. You may be feeling more and more anxiety with little sleep and yet the struggle is calling you back to balance.
7. Prioritize self-care
Are you having a hard time getting out of bed? Your body is likely craving more sleep. What else might your body be craving? Do you need more exercise? Do you need to eat healthier? How about a holiday?
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Your wise body is trying to tell you to take better care of yourself. Have you been checked out by your doctor lately? If you pay attention, your body will let you know when you are overdoing it.
8. Remember you're not alone
Some days, you are feeling too embarrassed to be among friends, colleagues, or family because you worry others will think you are unstable. Take a deep breath. The good news is you are no more unstable than anyone else.
Part of being human is the assumption we make that no other person could understand what we are going through. The truth is that we are not alone. Other people have suffered in the same way we have. Your true friends will accept you for who you are.
9. Love your beautiful self
There's good news! You are a beautiful person having very ordinary and yet extraordinary experiences. You can be thankful for the wisdom that comes from your body, emotions, and thoughts. It is available to you every day.
This wisdom can guide you to healthier and happier living making the world a better place one person at a time. Honor yourself by listening to your inner world.
You have nothing to be ashamed of. If you were not feeling all that you are, then you would have good reason to worry.
The sensations, emotions, and thoughts are like signposts on the highway giving us direction, pointing to places of beauty, and places of importance, warning us of dangers, and showing us places of interest, and places to avoid.
Our anxiety is a sign that we are being nudged to be more present so we can pay attention to the wisdom within us. Feelings of anxiety are merely a sign that you are alive and that your internal self is calling upon you to make changes in your life.
Take the risk to experience all of you both inward and outward. It takes some time to get used to being on this journey, but it is well worth the effort. You will find an inner peace that nothing else can offer.
Life will still have its struggles but it will go more smoothly and feel less overwhelming.
Roland Legge is an author, certified spiritual life coach, and teacher of the Enneagram. He helps people connect to their inner selves and find alignment with their highest purpose and values.