Fear comes from uncertainty; we can eliminate the fear within us when we know ourselves better.

– Bruce Lee

How to turn negative emotions into positive – transform your anxiety into strength.

I want to talk about something that will sneakily undermine your efforts and halt your momentum. Worry. It is the darkness that creeps along like mold, growing wherever the light doesn’t reach. If left unchecked, worry hungrily consumes our energy, causing procrastination and distraction.

Have you ever been so worried that you wanted to crawl out of your skin?

Maybe your reality blew up and your mind is frantically trying to piece together a new one. Racing thoughts, stomach in knots, biting your lip…fearing everything to come. Perhaps you are waiting for news that you suspect may not be good. It feels uncomfortable to think and yet you just can’t stop. You just want to go hide under the covers, but you can’t sleep. You can’t even rest.

OK, now take a breath and release those images and feelings. No more struggling to pull it together. You have the power to shift out of worry at your will. To claim your worry-dismantling arsenal.

Leaves fall from the trees in the fall, lakes freeze over in the winter, buds bust through their leafy shells in the spring, and the sun bakes the fields in the summer. Nature functions perfectly and constantly through intense change without any trace of worry or rush. How can we function more like nature and less like worry worts? I believe the first step is understanding. Understanding your worry from a conscious perspective will assist you in gaining the distance you need in order to identify and dissolve the illusion. In a Neuro-scientific nutshell, when your prefrontal cortex gets involved and helps you to rationally analyze the worry, help is on the way.

What is worry?

Worry is the feeling of concern about a real or imagined issue and its driving motivation is to help us avoid anticipated potential threats. In the emotional family, worry is the child of fear, which is a biological response to uncertainty. When we worry about unpleasant possibilities, the amygdala signals the release of cortisol and adrenaline. Worry has you biologically respond whether or not the unwanted event is actually going to take place.

F.E.A.R. = False Evidence Appearing Real

In excess, fear and worry can lead to pre-mature aging, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), and interfere with immune functioning. Some of the things we worry about include:

• Making big choices
• Having difficult conversations
• Letting go, losing a loved one
• Being abandoned, being engulfed
• Not being enough
• Failing
• Getting sick, dying

One of the themes of our deepest fears as human beings is vulnerability and loss of control. On some level, the function of worry is to help us gain a sense of control. The irony is that worry decreases focus and clarity AND it is inversely correlated with completion. The key is to decipher and focus on what you can control and take action— In other words, prepare calmly and intelligently and let go of the rest.

Another catalyst for worry is a disempowering relationship to time. Planning takes place in the present moment. Worry is based in the future. Often, those who worry feel that they are ‘running out of time’ or ‘there’s not enough time in the day.’ Just remember that time is a created construct. What are your beliefs about time, AND how would you like to relate to time moving forward? Try emulating nature and adopting the belief that ‘Everything is happening in perfect timing and order.’

Just as with frustration and disappointment, from an emotional-energetic perspective, worry is a state that is not in harmony with that which we desire. It is in effect, like praying for something we don’t want.  Emotional expert Karla McClaren proposes that the intention of worry is to help you connect with your intuition and prepare calmly for the future with clarity.

She offers these questions as a pathway to understanding worry:

• What triggered this feeling?
• What really needs to be done?

Answer these questions, and worry will subside.

Releasing Worry and Cultivating Peace with Hyp Keys

Hyp Keys are formulated to expand your awareness by incorporating subconscious communication friendly principles in a MEPS format.

What are MEPS? Mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual nuggets of goodness that you can begin applying immediately.

• M (mental) – Allot five minutes a day to worrying. Have a 5 minute worry party and just dive in. Journal your worries or share them with a buddy. Looking at them on paper or hearing them out loud puts the power back in your prefrontal cortex, where you can gain insight and clarity. Also, try this Mantra: I am peace. I am present. I am connected to all that is.
• E (emotional) – Worry can be mediated with healthy boundaries. Good boundaries reduce hypersensitivity and protect you from anxiously responding to everything around you. Take a bath. Soak in the quiet and notice the stillness. Notice your breath gently moving your body in the water while releasing worry through your exhales. Imagine soaking in feelings of support and safety. Add a few drops of essential oil or polished rose quartz for a sensory anchoring energetic bonus.
• P (physical) – Develop your signature fearless posture and facial expression. Remember, a change in physiology will translate into changes mentally and emotionally. When we worry, our eyebrows rise and our eyes widen. The biological intention of that is to ready us to gather more sensory information from our surroundings. To create the opposite effect, relax the muscles in your forehead, and soften your gaze. That will neutralize the fear. Then, spend a minute or two in a power stance. Check out Kung Fu movies or yogic warrior stances for inspiration. Worry is no match for strength.
• S (spiritual) – A dear friend reminded me recently that laughter can be as cathartic as tears, and a catharsis is what is needed to break through anxious blocks. A good laugh is an easier mission when you’re surrounded by people, so seek the company of friends who help you take yourself less seriously.

In closing, know that all is well. Allow nature to be your model. You are free to purposefully move into that magnetic state that pulls your dreams to you. This is the time to confidently and boldly claim our future.