"An entire industry has sprung up to aid us in eradicating it, from self-help books and holistic remedies to pharmaceuticals and cutting-edge cognitive behavioral therapy. Yet we are an ever more profoundly anxious society."– "In Praise of Anxiety," by Tracy Dennis-Tiwary

It's a profound and transformative shift to realize you won't be able to get rid of the emotion of anxiety, really. Nor would you want to eliminate it, really. Could you really get rid of or prevent any emotion? They all have a vital purpose in your life.

We get a lot of messaging about the problem of anxiety and how to not have it, or at best how to deal with it or manage it. So I get it that it can be really hard to shift away from viewing this important emotion in a more receptive way.

But allow me to invite you to ease your way toward this stance or posture with anxiety.

A silly comparison. If you get winded when you run or walk or climb stairs, the problem isn't with your breath. The solution isn't to stop breathing. Or stop those activities that make you winded. Unless you choose to live a life with no movement or restricted movement, and no discomfort. That's always an option, of course.

Another option is to learn and practice moving better, to change your movement environment, to change your mind and body.

A life that moves requires emotions. A life that moves well requires emotion skills. That's not all that is necessary, of course, but it is a part.

Emotions are messengers, bringing you information about the inner and outer worlds. They are the songbird in the tree as well as the canary in the coal mine. Or something like that. They help you take effective action, whether that is celebratory or protective.

Basically, anxiety helps you plan for and take action regarding the future. The more things there are to plan for, especially things of importance to you, the more your anxiety will be called upon to do its job. It works for your future self and well-being.

If it’s overworking, that’s not it’s fault. Ask why it is being called upon so much. And then ask what action really needs to be taken. Easy said, of course.

Life!

For more ways to get better with your anxiety, here's a self-study course.