Anxiety is generally made up of ‘unhelpful thinking patterns’ or ‘negative automatic thoughts’.
These negative thoughts take over and result in negative emotions, unwelcome physical sensations in our body and unhelpful behaviours.
We are in control of our thought processes, although it may not always feel like it, we have choices in what we allow ourselves to think and how we let it affect us.
Examples of this are:
Two people eating the same meal may have two completely different experiences of it.
The person who did not cook it may find the food delicious, however the one who cooked it may find it unacceptable due to the negative thoughts associated around their cooking.
This is all generated by the power of thought!
To take control of our thoughts, we need clarity as clarity is our mind’s natural state. Clarity is to have a clear head, knowing we have everything we need for the job in hand.
If you asked an anxious person going into an interview what is going through their mind, they might say they are scared, fearful, embarrassed, feeling inadequate.
However, if you are a confident person what they are thinking they will most likely say ‘nothing’. When you have nothing on your mind, you can be the best version of yourself.
One of my favourite quotes from a guy called Jamie Smart;
‘If a pond is clouded with mud, there’s nothing you can do to make the water clear. But when you allow the mud to settle, it will clear on it’s own, because clarity is the water’s natural state’.
This is so true, if you think about it, we are not born with anxiety, stress, worry, fear etc, these are all thoughts/beliefs we develop over time that ‘muddy’ our brain.
Anxiety can be controlled, it’s just learning how to do it, but once you have it’s a skill for life!