Official reports say that over 40 million people endure anxiety disorders each year in the United States (nearly 20% of the population), but all of us have experienced — and know well — the terrible pangs of fear and anxiety that derail our plans and send us into a sort of ‘system shock’.
Sometimes it’s hard to remember that these internal ‘warning signals’ are actually trying to help us. Especially when they end up hurting us and damaging our relationships with others.
That’s why it’s essential to understand the root cause of these warning signals, and learn how to work with them in a way that might allow you to shift the entire process into something much more manageable. I was recently able to sit down with the very knowledgeable psychiatrist Dr. George Thompson, who is a wealth of information on this subject and many others, and talk about some of these strategies.
Getting to the ‘Root’ of Fears & Anxieties
Like many of our behaviors and patterns, oftentimes we can greatly benefit from some ‘deep diving’ into our fears, and getting to the ‘core’ of our fears. Even though it may seem as if our primary fears or anxieties revolve around our current environment and daily stress, they may have a much deeper origin.
As I share in the chat with Dr. Thompson, I have taken out my proverbial shovel to discover this truth many times — finding that some of my ‘current’ fears were actually the surface-level result of much deeper (and very old) traumatic experiences that needed to be addressed.
There’s few things more satisfying than overcoming major fear blocks that hold us back from doing the things we love. It’s a process, and one that never truly comes to a complete stop — and one that all humans are on together. As always, if you suffer from mental health conditions that involve anxiety, depression, or any other concern, you should seek the advisory of a qualified healthcare provider.
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