As we get deeper into all of this, I can feel my own anxiety increasing and if what I’m seeing in my news feed is any indication, so is yours.
My anxiety is making me want to fix things, fix you. I want to help people see why I’m right and they are wrong and that if they’d just adopt my perspective we’d all be better off for it. But letting my anxiety lead the ways I show up by conflicting and over-functioning isn’t me showing up as who I want to be.
So this post is an attempt to lean into my desire to positive change without falling into my desire to forcibly fix you.
Whether you are anxious about the virus, a loved one, your job, the economy, the government not doing enough, the government doing too much, being alone, too much time with family, all of the above, or something else altogether, I recommend taking a minute to breathe and reflect on these 20 questions. I’ve found them to be a helpful tool in getting back to a thinking place, where I can be more thoughtful and less reactive.
Dr. Kathleen Smith is a therapist and author of the book Everything Isn’t Terrible: Conquer Your Insecurities, Interrupt Your Anxiety, and Finally Calm Down.
Here are a couple more resources to help you in this anxious time:
