Overcoming Anxiety That is Triggered by Challenging Yourself

Quitting my corporate job, reducing binge drinking, and cutting off toxic relationships have been pivotal steps in my journey towards peace amidst the chaos of anxiety. Join me, Hannah, as I open up about these life-altering decisions and how they transformed my mental health. Let’s explore the raw and real emotional impact of these experiences and the delicate balance I strive for now while running my own business. Through vulnerability and personal growth, I’ve found a newfound sense of calm, but the waves of anxiety still ebb and flow as I navigate new challenges.

Stepping out of our comfort zones is never easy, but it can lead to profound personal and professional growth. Together, we’ll unpack the texture and color of anxiety, acknowledging its protective role and learning techniques to transform it. From breath work and dancing to changing environments, discover practical strategies to slow down, create awareness, and process emotions for lasting release. Embrace the discomfort with me, as we journey through the ups and downs of personal development and achieving our desired outcomes. Let's connect, grow, and find strength in shared experiences and heartfelt insights.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:03

what is up y'all, and welcome back to mindfully moody. It's your girl, hannah, and I'm here with a solo episode and I'm excited just to have a little girly chat, girly chat, girly talk and just kind of share with you what is on my heart and what I've been experiencing, experiencing. I love having these like one-on-one conversations because I'm really giving you guys a deep insight into my life and what I'm experiencing. And it's it's sometimes like scary to really share everything that's going on in your life right on a podcast because it's like I don't even know actually, really, who listens to this. So it opens it people up to judge me. It's leaving me super vulnerable, right, unsure about what people are going to think about it, how they're going to see me. But I feel that I need to share my story, share the experiences that I'm going through, in order to help other people. That's why we have this podcast, because we want to help other people. So if we aren't sharing what we're actually going through, if we're keeping that from you guys, that's just a missed opportunity for learning and growing and building connections. So I wanted to talk about anxiety on this episode today.

Speaker 1: 1:27

I have had a tough relationship with anxiety my entire life, like moments in my life where I have suffered and I've struggled and I've cried and I've been so depressed because I just felt like anxiety took over my life. And especially when I was working in corporate the corporate world I was consumed with anxiety. I couldn't even in corporate the corporate world I was consumed with anxiety. I couldn't even think straight, like I felt. I like to call them demons. Sometimes when I'm feeling anxiety, like oh damn, I feel like I have some demons on me. But I was filled with anxiety and I finally came to a place in my life where I'm like okay, I realized like all of the things that were sealing my peace and I kind of did an evaluation right, I quit the job that was causing me anxiety, I stopped binge drinking as much that was causing me anxiety. I stopped having like relationships with people who were making causing me to be anxious, right, making me feel uncomfortable, these all of these things. So I feel like I did a good like audit on my life and I was able to clear the moments and the things that were causing me that anxiety and pain. And, like y'all, I've been chilling. I've been chilling lately and I've been so happy and feeling so peaceful that I don't suffer with that type of anxiety on the regular anymore, because it was such a regular occurrence, literally every day, every week.

Speaker 1: 2:44

I would feel that like just doom, like inside, like that blackness that fills your body and just like constant worry and like feeling fearful and feeling like scared and all of that. So I'm happy to say consistently, now I no longer feel that, I feel a lot of sense of peace, but recently I've had moments of anxiety and because of situations that I'm currently experiencing in this period of my life and I'm just going to share with like what it is and like why I'm experiencing it, like what I'm doing to cope with it, because I know it can be really, really challenging. So, as you guys all know, I have my own business and in business it goes up and down. It flows, right. Sometimes you're really consistent with clients. Then maybe you like lose a client or a client goes a different direction or they don't need your services anymore, right, so then maybe you are in a lower point in business and then you're in a higher point, and so I've been in this like wave and I'm grateful.

Speaker 1: 3:49

I'm so grateful Like I'm getting so many new clients right now, but there was a push moment where I was like I really need to put myself outside of my comfort zone. I have to do things that make me anxious in order to grow my business, because sometimes pushing ourself outside of our comfort zone right, to do things that our most successful self would do right those things are hard and that can cause anxiety because we're doing things that are new, we're doing things that we're not used to, we're putting ourself in situations that we've never been in before, right, we're having hard conversations and being put on the spot, and so I've noticed this like anxiety come up and different you know emotions and different wounds that are appearing as I try to put myself outside of my comfort zone and challenge myself and up level, and it's been extremely revealed to me as I'm doing this new event. If you guys follow me on Instagram, you know that I'm hosting a content party next week which we're super stoked about. It's such a fun event I'm putting on with my friend, but this is stretchy for me and this has caused a lot of anxiety for me because it's something new. I'm so used to doing things one-on-one with people, right, or doing things behind the scenes, right, like with the podcast, it's not live. I'm obviously great at talking, sarah and I have great banter, but we get to do this behind closed doors, so it's less pressure. So by me partaking in this event right, this in-person event in Austin, I am increasing my visibility, which is going to be great in my business. Right, I'm getting out there, I'm going to be speaking my voice in front of all amazing women, female entrepreneurs that we're putting this content party on for.

Speaker 1: 5:40

But that is so scary to me and you have to be, but that is so scary to me and you have to be like, so vulnerable. And I just noticed that that anxiety that I used to feel started creeping back in my thoughts, started to consume me. I started to have so many doubts about myself not feeling good enough. Right, all of the past wounds from past experiences, from childhood, like they just started coming in. And it started to consume me again, like before, when I was working in my corporate job, and I literally had that black cloud over me filled with anxiety. Even though they're such different situations, I still had some of those same feelings come up, even though I'm doing something that I love doing, that I'm so stoked on.

Speaker 1: 6:30

And it just showed me that, like when we are challenging ourselves, when we are putting ourselves outside of our comfort zone, doing things that are hard, doing things that are challenging, that is part of the healing process. There were and are there, were and are emotions that are still stuck in me, that are causing that anxiety. Right, that feeling of not being good enough. Right, of being able to show off in front of a group of people and speak confidently the things I have to say. Right, that anxiety was being brought to me because I'm afraid of you know what other people think about me. I have perfectionist tendencies. Right, are the things that I'm going to say going to come out perfect, right?

Speaker 1: 7:18

So I just noticed a wave of emotions coming up as I embark on this new adventure of pushing myself outside of my comfort zone and really stepping into my own CEO energy and like practicing what I preach, going after the things that I want to go, after doing the hard things, and anxiety can come and I think there's this beautiful balance between, like you know, challenging yourself, doing new things, but then also honoring yourself, because you don't want to steal your peace too much, right, if you're just constantly pushing, pushing, pushing, pushing, pushing like that's also not good, right? We we want to feel growth, we want to feel expansive, we want to get to new levels, but we also don't want to be miserable in our life. And I'm realizing that like it comes with seasons, like right now. I'm in this season of pushing myself right, stretching myself, feeling this uncomfortability, feeling this, these challenges, and learning to work with the anxiety, understand, invite the anxiety and welcome it and ask why is it here? What is it here to teach me?

Speaker 1: 8:20

And I've done so much healing work in the past two weeks of realizing why this anxiety is coming in. I've done coaching sessions with Sarah which have been so, so, freaking helpful. You guys should go book a discovery call, literally. I'm about to drop her name right here because she has helped me so much in just processing like some inner child wounds that are coming up, like why this anxiety is coming up and how I can work through it. She's helped me so much. So shout out love you so much, sarah. Um, but it's all, yeah, it's.

Speaker 1: 8:57

It's also like important to know, like when you should push yourself, when you shouldn't. And let me tell you like I have been pushing myself the past two, three, four weeks and a lot has been coming up. It's been uncomfortable and I'm going to tell you right now, after next week, I'm going to be done pushing myself. I'm going to take a break and like, maybe I'm going to take two or three months off from challenging myself outside of my comfort zone and like, let me integrate what I've experienced, because it's been so much and I think that's important for you all to know too.

Speaker 1: 9:26

If you're challenging yourself, if you're feeling anxious from challenging yourself and doing new things, but it's causing you, you know, these feelings like one, maybe that's not for you, but maybe there's a lesson in it and can you challenge yourself and then take a break. Right, we can't constantly push, push, push, push, push or we're going to burn out. Right, we're going to get tired, we're going to get overwhelmed, anxious, depressed, like and I was finding that in myself'm like you know, doing these new things in my business, like stretching myself, and like I'm like mad at myself in some aspects. I'm like why am I? Why did I sign up for this? Why did I do this to myself? Like I'm my piece is being stolen. Like I'm so pissed, like I'm never doing this again.

Speaker 1: 10:10

And then like, as the weeks go on and I'm starting to understand like this is just an up-leveling, like we talked about on the previous episode, like this is just an initiation for me to level up and get to the next level. Because once I'm comfortable with this and I realize I'm safe doing this type of work, what is next for me? Who am I going to impact next? Who am I going to touch? Who am I going to be able to speak, to, connect with? What rooms am I going to be in? It's just, I know I have this growth like growth desire in my life and so I know that by playing small and not allowing myself to do these things, blocking myself because out of fear, like that's not the path I want to go down.

Speaker 1: 10:55

So I think it's always about you know understanding this comfort zone where things make you feel uncomfortable, and why they make you feel uncomfortable, and trying it anyway, even though it is uncomfortable, even though it might cause you some anxiety, how can you work through that right, if it's worth it for you, that outcome that you're desiring to get from whatever it is that you're doing. For me, it was putting this event on. I knew that this is gonna be good for my professional development. It's gonna be good for me finding clients. It's gonna be good for me stepping into my voice. There's only good things that come from it. So why would I say no to something that's a good opportunity, right? The bad things that come from it is me feeling anxious, me not feeling good about myself, and that's just a belief. We all have so many beliefs that often aren't actually our beliefs. It's just a program of an inner wound that we are carrying out.

Speaker 1: 11:50

So, for me, I had to really take internal time to figure out, like, how am I going to deal with this anxiety? How can I deal with this pain that I'm experiencing, this uncomfortability, right? This like black darkness that's overcoming my soul? How can I deal with this? And so I want to talk to you about some ways that I've been navigating feeling anxiety and being able to alchemize that darkness into light to propel me to where I want to go. So one is slowing down and creating awareness, right. So I am challenging these new things.

Speaker 1: 12:30

I noticed that that anxiety started to come. I just I felt into it. I felt in my body like, and in I heard, in my thoughts like one asking yourself what does this anxiety feel like Giving it a texture, giving it a color and just acknowledging it. Sometimes our anxiety or our emotions just need to be acknowledged so you could say like for me it was. You know, I feel like this anxiety that I'm feeling is like a black circle right below my heart and it's like rigid, like spiky, it's like gray and it just feels really heavy and dense. And by me just paying attention to what that feeling feels like in my body, it already loosens up. But I can talk to it and say like, okay, like what is that anxiety here? For what is it here? To teach me? Getting curious, right, getting mindful about what these feelings are and why they're here and what are they trying to do?

Speaker 1: 13:26

My anxiety is just trying to protect me. It's just trying to keep me safe. Right, it's here to say, like waving a red flag, like hey, heads up, panel, there's some scary stuff coming up ahead. You should be worried so you can protect yourself. You know people might judge you, people might think you're dumb, people might blah, blah, blah. Whatever. The beliefs are limiting beliefs are right.

Speaker 1: 13:54

The anxiety is here like, worry about it. Worry about it. You should worry about it because we got to keep you safe. We got to keep you right. Right, that's what anxiety is doing. Like, actually think, like, what is your anxiety trying to do? It's just trying to keep you safe and you can return back to that moment of being like damn, how loving of my anxiety. It's just trying to keep me safe. But like, thank you, anxiety, I am safe. This is just a rant, you guys, but this is like my brain and how it's processing this anxiety and I really hope that this is helpful for somebody. So, creating that general awareness of the anxiety is going to really help you. And ask it why it's here, what is it here trying to do, right? Hmm, okay, so my anxiety is here trying. Why is it trying to protect me? Okay, it's trying to protect me from people, right, and just talking with it and saying like, no, I am protected already without it. I know I'm safe, I know I'm loved, I know I'm valued, right, reminding yourself, kind of working through that.

Speaker 1: 14:57

So creating that general, just awareness of anxiety in the body. How does it feel? And then moving through it, right, what can you do to get out of that situation? If you're in your home having ruminating thoughts, right, feeling this anxiety, feeling this overwhelm. What can you do somatically to move through that? Right? Is there breath work that you can do to put attention to that ball of anxiety in your chest? Right, can you dance it out and listen to music and shake it out? Right, do you need to scream and like punch a pillow and like, or like, go in a long car ride and like literally scream your brains out? Or do you need to cry? Right, how can we process this feeling of anxiety in a different way than just allowing it to sit there and have ruminating thoughts? I think so many of us just sit and ruminate, ruminate, ruminate, like just like, oh, oh, like it's just that constant, like repeating pattern of like it's here, it's here, it's here. But if we can get out of our head and into our body, it can really help us release that anxiety and push through it. Right, maybe, changing your environment, getting outside of your house, going, hanging out with a friend, like going and processing in nature, saying a prayer, like there's so many things that we can do to move through these dense emotions that we feel and process them to allow them to be released. So you can practice that right when you're feeling whatever emotion that you maybe don't want to feel is like how can I move through this and acknowledge this feeling and free it from me?

Speaker 1: 16:37

Another thing that helped me with this anxiety that I was experiencing is knowing that it's in the future. It's another day's worries. I am a chronic future worrier, so there could be something that's two months away that I'm already having anxiety for. Like for me, with this event, I was having anxiety like four weeks out, it's like not even here, and so for me, this event I was having anxiety like four weeks out, it's like not even here, and so for me, it was like time boxing it and saying like okay, if I'm going to be anxious, like let me just be anxious the day before rather than like four weeks away. Like I think a lot of people have this right.

Speaker 1: 17:16

Imagine if your boss comes to you and is like Jessica, we need you to give a presentation on, you know, august 2nd in front of the board members, blah, blah, blah. And like you're really nervous to give a presentation. Like that could be causing you anxiety for the next three months, knowing that you have to give a presentation in front of the board members. So like how can you time box and say, like, by me worrying about this today, tomorrow, the next two weeks, that's not going to do anything except cause me pain. What I'll give myself is okay. I'll let myself worry about this one day before. I'll give myself one whole day just to worry, be scared, be anxious, but I'm not going to let it steal my peace today, tomorrow or the next day. It's way too far in advance to steal my peace. Let me protect myself and just knowing that that worry is not going to do anything for me anyway. Right, maybe, if we have worry closer to the actual time, like it's going to help us, like prepare better or, you know, visualize what we want to say, like all of that, but like just don't let your anxiety or your emotions take over too far in advance, because it's not worth it. It is not worth it. Time box it, say I'll worry about that for another day. Don't even allow your mind to go and think about the situation unless you want to visualize, which is my next point.

Speaker 1: 18:35

If you are feeling anxious about a situation that you have to do or be in, how can you visualize the best possible outcome? For me, it's visualizing every morning of how do I want to show up, how do I want to feel, how do I want this event to go, how do I want to connect with people, being so embodied in the energy that you want to show up in during the specific thing right, if it's a future event, or just how do you want that to go? The thing that's causing you anxiety is preventing you from, or it's basically like trying to protect you from like the worst case scenario happening. But what is the best case scenario and how can you visualize on that and remind yourself and rewire your brain that, like that is the experience that you're going to get right? Anxiety is typically just like fear of the future or fear of the past. So if it's fear of the future, how can we make it love of the future? Like think about the best case scenario that's going to happen, like the best outcome, and like visualize on that and feed into that. Rather than the negative, limiting belief stories. Let's have the beliefs that work for us and getting us to where we want to go.

Speaker 1: 19:46

And then the next thing I'll say is just chatting with somebody, like talking to somebody and processing what is going on. Like I was saying, doing two life coaching sessions with Sarah specifically on. This really helped me just have a space to talk about what I was feeling and maybe where this really wasn't about the event in the first place, you know, or me expanding my comfort zone and having to try new things, like it's just about old wounds and old stories that were scary of the past, that no longer exist in this current human lifetime that I'm living in. They're just past stories, past wounds from my childhood that I'm still carrying with me. But I'm not that small girl anymore. I'm me, I'm smart, I'm educated. I am this version of me who can fully show up in all these experiences without needing to be scared or needing to be fearful or doubting myself. So finding someone to talk to, to ask you, probing questions about what you're feeling and explore it, and having it just a safe space to talk to somebody, to process, is really really helpful. Whether that be a friend, whether that be a life coach, whether that be a mentor, whether that be a therapy session, I think really getting space and time to talk about and process what is coming up for you and trying to work through it, it can be so helpful.

Speaker 1: 21:10

And then revisiting the past. Where are these feelings of anxiety coming from right. If we're feeling like we're not good enough, where does that stem from? In a past experience or childhood right? When did we not feel good enough? I mean, you know, if we're feeling like we're, you know we're afraid to be judged. Where have we seen that in the past? And how can we transmit those feelings into feelings that we actually want to have right that we are valuable, we are successful. We have so many amazing want to have right that we are valuable, we are successful. We have so many amazing things to share, right.

Speaker 1: 21:49

So I just wanted to share with you guys a few things that have been helping me along this journey. I know this is very specific to my event, my experience that I'm currently going through, but maybe you're experiencing anxiety and you can use some of these tools and techniques that really helped me kind of clear and get excited about this event. I'm going to give you guys an update after. I'm feeling stoked. I'm feeling excited and also a little fearful, and that's okay. That is okay. We can feel all of the feelings and welcome them in with love. I think it's going to be an amazing experience and I can't wait to see the growth that comes from this, and I can't wait to see the growth that comes from you in your life, by you no longer playing small, stepping outside of your comfort zone and choosing to do things that make you expand and get you into a higher alignment.

Speaker 1: 22:44

I'm so proud of you for all of the work that you've done on yourself, and I just want you to know that you shouldn't give up. Don't give up. Do not give up. Keep challenging yourself, keep giving yourself love, keep reflecting and just spreading that positive light into the world, like you always do. Okay, Thank you for allowing me to express this vulnerable story. Let's keep this between me and you, winky face. Okay, guys, if you like this episode, be sure to share this with somebody you love. Be sure to share this with somebody you love and follow us on Instagram. Send me a DM. I want to see who's listening here. If this message resonated, send me a DM on Instagram. At expand with Hannah. Let's chat on it, and I hope you have a beautiful day, go out there and kill the day. I love you so much. Bye.