Thriving with Anxiety
Feeling anxious lately?Maybe that’s not a bad thing… |
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| I had the privilege of working with David H. Rosmarin on his just-published book Thriving with Anxiety: 9 Tools to Make Your Anxiety Work for You (Harper Horizon, Oct. 17, 2023). I always learn something from the books that I coauthor, and in this case I not only learned an enormous amount about how anxiety works, but have also been able to apply this knowledge to my own ongoing challenges with anxiety. Likely the most valuable insight Dr. Rosmarin conveys in this book is that, far from perceiving our anxiety as a deficit, we can harness its power to grow spiritually by learning more about who we are and how much we need other people.Over the years, I had developed a knee-jerk response the moment I felt anxious, instantly setting loose my inner critic. What was wrong with me for freaking out over some minor mistake or another encroaching deadline? As Dr. Rosmarin explains, however, instead of attacking ourselves when an attack sets in, we can choose to accept our anxiety, as opposed to suppressing it or medicating it away. Anxiety can release as much adrenaline as a “fight or flight” response—which is why some anxiety attacks have physical symptoms similar to a heart attack. But, by allowing our anxiety to wash over us—without fighting it or criticizing ourselves just for getting anxious—the initial burst of adrenaline will gradually stop flowing. And then, the aspect of our nervous system responsible for the “rest and digest” response will do its job to calm us down. It’s a relief just to know that getting anxious doesn’t mean you’re mentally ill, any more than catching a cold means your immune system is dysfunctional. But beyond that, David has developed ways to allow your anxiety to show you valuable truths about yourself, thereby turning it into an ally and an asset. Those are the “9 Tools” of the subtitle, and they’re remarkably easy to apply. To discover more about Thriving with Anxiety, click on the button above. VISIT MY WEBSITEGO TO MY BLOG |
