Understanding Anxiety

Understanding Anxiety Through a Holistic Lens:

Anxiety is a common emotional experience, especially in today’s world but yet it can often be misunderstood, minimized, or masked through distractibility or busyness. You may feel it in forms such as racing thought, tightness in your chest, or a constant sense of urgency that never seems to go away. Whether it’s occasionally worry or feeling constantly overwhelmed by responsibilities, anxiety is your body and mind’s way of saying – “something does not feel safe in this moment.”

The truth is that anxiety isn’t just something that occurs in your head – it lives throughout your entire being. Using a holistic perspective when looking at anxiety is that it helps us move beyond the surface level of symptoms and invites us to listen to what our body is needing, thoughts that are occurring, and what your emotions are trying to tell us. When we talk about healing, this does not mean we are aiming to “get rid” of anxiety. Healing means learning to understand it, respond to it with compassion, and finding ways to gently guide yourself back into a place of balance.

What is Anxiety?

Anxiety is your body’s natural response to stress, sense of uncomfortability, or perceived danger. It is tied to the fight-flight-freeze-fawn response which is a biological survival mechanism that keeps us alert in times of a perceived threat. When anxiety becomes chronic or triggered to often, the nervous system can become stuck in this reactive state – creating a sense you feel like something is wrong, even when feeling physically safe.

There are many different types of anxiety some including: 

o   Generalized Anxiety

o   Social Anxiety

o   Panic Attacks

o   Health Anxiety

o   Situational Anxiety

Each type of anxiety can affect your body, mind, and daily life routine in unique ways. To truly support someone experiencing anxiety, we must recognize how it shows up in every aspect of life. Anxiety is not just an emotion – it is a multi-dimensional experience.

                  “Anxiety isn’t just something that happens in the mind - it lives in the body, influences our breath, interrupts our sleep, affects our appetite, and even disconnects us from our sense of safety in the present moment. From racing thoughts to tightness in the chest and shortness of breath, anxiety can present itself in many different forms.”

It’s hard when there are a multitude of things that can contribute to anxious thoughts. Not only can anxious thoughts stop us in the moment, but they can also affect us physically through the body. The question that comes from this is how to I continue moving forward when there is too much happening, when I become so overwhelmed that I just freeze and shut down?”

The question asked is the heart of so many experiences. Here is how anxiety can impact us across different dimensions.

o   Mentally

o   Intrusive thoughts

o   Overanalyzing or catastrophizing

o   Indecisiveness

o   Difficulty concentrating or staying present

o   Emotionally

o   Irritability or emotional numbness

o   Fear, shame, or a sense of dread

o   Emotional reactivity or withdrawal

o   Feelings disconnected from joy or self-worth

o   Spiritually and Energentically

o   Loss of inner peace

o   Feeling disconnected from purpose or intuition

o   Self-doubt or disconnection from meaning or sense of purpose

A Holistic Approach to Easing Anxiety

Instead of isolating anxiety as just a “mental health problem,” a holistic lens invites us to ten to the entire person – mind, body, and spirit. This includes working with the nervous system, emotional processing, thought patterns, physical care, and internal beliefs.

Some practices that can help regulate anxious thoughts and work with the anxiety rather than push it away include:

o   Grounding Breathwork

o   Helps to calm the nervous system and shift out of a flight-or-fight mindset. Box breathing or tap breathing is a way to activate your parasympathetic response

o   Somatic Grounding

o   Using physical cues to anchor yourself in the present. Some examples include pressing your feet into the floor, holding a textured object, placing your hand over our heart and belly, or partaking in gentle body tapping

o   Thought Releasing and Reframing

o   Journaling gives your thoughts a voice and a way to become physical rather than just mental. Once written, challenge the truth of that thought - replacing thoughts with grounded or realistic ones

o   Visualization

o   Creating a mental safe space you can return to when anxiety comes. Visualizing it vividly – what you see, smell, colors, and could touch. This becomes a sanctuary your mind can revisit.

You Are Not Your Anxiety

 Anxiety is a signal – not a flaw. It is your body’s way of asking for safety, care, and connection. When we listen with curiosity rather than judgment or beating ourselves up, we can meet anxiety with a grounded response instead of fear or pushing it down.

With a holistic and supportive approach, anxiety doesn’t have to control your life. Instead it can become a doorway into deeper awareness, stronger self-trust, and greater resilience.

                   “You don’t have to be fearless to be brave.” – Fourth Wing

You are not alone. You are seen. There is room to breathe, grow, and begin – one empathetic to yourself at a time.