The Antidote to Anxiety

 This week's blog focuses on anxiety and how to neutralize it through reflection and a clear action plan.

We'll dive into the action steps this week.

The first step in managing anxiety is recognizing it as a common human emotion that everyone experiences.

Anxiety itself isn't bad. It can be helpful in high-stress situations, acting as fuel to achieve goals.

However, prolonged anxiety can be counterproductive, reducing your ability to succeed.

When viewed this way, anxiety can't control you. It’s simply an emotion, and the key is learning how to harness its power while minimizing its negative impact.

In this blog, I’ll share my personal approach to using anxiety to my advantage.

1.IS ANYBODY TRULY AN ANXIOUS PERSON? 

I often hear people describe themselves as "an anxious person."

To determine if this is accurate, it's important to understand the difference between state and trait anxiety.

State anxiety arises in response to a specific threat or stressful situation. It’s a normal reaction to triggers, and many people who experience state anxiety do not have an anxiety disorder.

Trait anxiety, on the other hand, involves feeling anxious in everyday situations, like worrying about a distant partner or concerns over work or school. People with trait anxiety may tend to catastrophize and imagine the worst-case scenario.

Understanding the difference helps you identify where you need to focus your efforts.

If your anxiety arises in stressful situations, this is normal,our brains are wired to react to danger. Your focus should be on controlling what you can in those moments and clarifying your action steps.

If you tend to catastrophize small things, focus on identifying what causes you the most anxiety and building confidence through reassurance and communication.

One thing is certain: labeling yourself as an anxious person only increases anxiety and diminishes control over your outcomes.

Through reflection, assessment, and action, you can reduce anxiety over time.

However, I am not a certified psychiatrist, and those with high levels of anxiety that affect daily life should consider consulting a mental health professional.

2. WHAT IS ANXIETY? 

I am most anxious when I get swept up in anxious thoughts and start telling myself unhelpful stories, the death spiral.

I’m least anxious when I’m grounded in gratitude, faith, and reflection.

In my experience, anxiety signals that there are things I should be doing but haven’t yet. It feels like there are many options, and I’m unsure which path to take. This is an unpleasant feeling.

However, I no longer view this anxiety as negative.

Instead, I see it as a sign to become more curious, clear, and action-oriented.

Next, I’ll teach you my process for identifying anxiety and how I take action.

3.THE SABERTOOTH TIGER 

One key thing to understand is that your brain is ancient, even though you live in the 21st century.

In many cases, your life and business trigger the same fear responses that once helped you avoid sabertooth tigers.

You might say, “This all sounds good, Hunter, but anxiety is painful.”

I ask you to consider whether what you're perceiving as fearful is actually as dangerous as it feels.

A crucial step in managing anxiety is recognizing that sometimes the level of anxiety you feel isn’t directly tied to the actual severity of the situation.

There’s great power in maintaining clear vision during anxious moments.

4. REFLECT, ACCESS, ACT

Each day, I start by writing down how I’m feeling.

If I’m feeling anxious, I immediately note why.

Next, I create two columns: one for things I can control and the other for things I can’t.

I then focus on what I can control, ignore the rest, and write an action plan to tackle those tasks.

The key is to take action on the controllables right away, don’t put it off for a week, month, or year.

This simple approach gives me full ownership, and as I complete my tasks, my anxiety significantly decreases.

5. GRATITUDE IS THE OPPOSITE OF FEAR

An interesting fact about the brain is that fear and gratitude run on the same neural pathways.

This means it’s difficult to experience both emotions at the same time.

To control your anxiety, you’ll need to find gratitude regularly.

If you’re stuck in anxiety, gratitude is the antidote.

For me, this often involves sitting on my back porch and reflecting on all the amazing things in my life, no matter how small.

I make this practice a daily habit.

6. CONCLUSION

Anxiety isn’t inherently bad.

Harnessing it can help you accomplish great things.

You can experience anxiety in high-risk situations or more consistently in lower-risk, everyday moments.

Just because you feel anxious doesn’t mean you’re an anxious person.

Reflection, assessment, and action are key to gaining control over anxiety.

Daily gratitude and reflection practices will help reduce anxiety over time.