Thanks for joining me again! I hope you enjoyed reading about my own experience of anxiety and about some of the lessons I’ve learned from anxiety. Today I’m going to wrap this up by sharing with you that last three things that the anxiety from starting my business has taught me. I hope they are as helpful for you to think about as they have been for me!

4^th Lesson: There is power in “just doing” even though it’s not perfection or you’re still learning

In a previous blog I talked about being okay with the messes of life and not working so hard at being perfect. This area of “just doing” is another hard one for me. The issue is that if we are anxious about failing because we don’t know how to do everything perfectly, we will never learn. One way to look at this is in the acronym FAIL: First Attempt In Learning. So, if we can become okay with just doing something even though it might not be perfect, the more we will learn (and many of us learn really well from doing things again and again and again). The more we learn about something the more confident we feel. The more confident we feel the less anxious we are!

5^th Lesson: There is power in waiting

Ah…the lesson of germination! When we are anxious, letting things move at its own pace is really hard. One hour to the anxious mind feels like an entire day. One day can feel like an entire week! But just as a seed has to germinate to grow and produce fruit, we also have to let ideas and effort germinate in order to produce results. This speaks to a problem that we have, overall, of “delay of gratification.” This psychology term relates to our difficulty in waiting….we want results right away. We work therefore we should see results (quickly for those with an anxious mind). But most of the time things don’t work like that. The world doesn’t work on the time table we demand. But, through waiting, creativity, clarity, and purpose can flourish. And when you have those things blooming, you’ll feel less anxious.

6^th Lesson: There is power in perspective

I love the scripture in the Bible that says “there is nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9). When I feel anxious I try to remember this scripture, because it really is true. Over the course of world history people have struggled with the same things over and over…health, money, power, relationships, jobs, trusting God, trusting each other, etc. Now of course life is not all about struggle, most of the time there is a difficult part of life that is running side by side with good parts of life. When you can keep your mind focused on the positive parts of life while you are working the harder parts of life, that will help you keep your perspective and ease some of your anxieties.

I hope I’ve been able to help you think about your anxiety a bit differently and embrace some of it a bit easier. Anxiety is like a wave….it comes and goes. The less you try to get rid of it completely the more you can learn to ride the wave and enjoy the ocean and the surfing in the process! If you’d like to chat with me about your struggles and find out if counseling might be a good option for you give me a call at 539-777-1129 or send me a secure email at Dr.Leedy@legacycounselingservice.com

Dr. Leedy is a clinical psychologist in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma and the owner of Legacy Counseling Service. She serves clients throughout Oklahoma via face-to-face and online counseling. Dr. Leedy specializes in helping people improve their coping with chronic illnesses, insomnia, depression, and general anxiety.