Do you ever get anxious? I have had anxious moments most of my life, likely activated from nearly drowning at age five to being uprooted from my childhood home when I was 13. I went down many paths to self-medicate, including alcohol, drugs, shopping, sex, you name it. These are all ways to cope with the levels of anxiety that I experienced at different times in my life.
I didn’t have the awareness that I was self-medicating, or that these were coping mechanisms that I was unconsciously using to cover up the discomfort. Whatever emotion made me uncomfortable, I found ways to disappear it. Yes, even “happy” states can cause an anxious reaction. Fear and excitement result in similar physiological states!
But now? I do have the awareness.
You can learn to cultivate awareness and lead a more fulfilling life. Consciousness is what shapes our lives. The more aware we are of what’s driving our emotional and physical reactions, the more power we have to alter the reactions/states/behaviors we want to change.
Our coping mechanism is like a buddy, a best friend that we can depend on: that drink after work, buying that new dress, or eating comfort food while we binge-watch the latest Netflix series. These behaviors are reliable methods because we can count on them to distract us from the emotion. So we go back to them over and over until one day we recognize that they’re just not working so we try something else or move to another area or increase our exposure. But these are all just temporary fixes.
At one time, I could’ve easily been diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder. Driving in strange places, and navigating numerous interconnecting, Los Angeles freeways, especially at night, would cause me great fear and anxious self/talk (Watch out, OMG that truck is going to hit you, the tire feels flat, the road is a mess, people are terrible drivers, etc)
Recently, I’ve tackled this by changing my mind when I’m in an anxiety-provoking situation by using my imagination, completely taking the mind out of my body, and putting it into a place where I am safe and protected. Changing my inner dialogue to “I am an excellent driver” activates my inner cheerleader and coach and I’m able to drive almost effortlessly.
Tell yourself a better lie. if you don’t believe you’re an excellent driver and can handle any road condition you encounter, keep feeding your anxious thoughts, and you’ll get more of them. Or take the opposite approach and visualize yourself driving effortlessly in a calm, peaceful and serene state of mind as you journey to your destination. Just don’t close your eyes while you’re driving.
I help people who suffer with anxiety.
Don’t give your power away to anxiety. Somehow, at some place at some time in your life, you created it, and with conscious awareness, you can disappear it! You don’t have to know exactly where it came from in order to get rid of it.
Let’s create a plan to eliminate your anxiety completely.
Learn how to eliminate anxiety FOREVER!
Testimonial
“Marlu helped me transform the anxiety from losing my job to feeling motivated to find a new one. If you want to get rid of anxiety, I highly recommend working with Marlu.” Dan H.