The Wisdom of Anxiety: How Worry and Intrusive Thoughts Are Gifts to Help You Heal

Description

According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, as many as 40 million adults in the US suffer from some kind of anxiety disorder--and it's a growing issue for kids as well. For anyone troubled by obsessive thoughts, insomnia, and other manifestations of anxiety, counselor Sheryl Paul offers a shelter in the storm. In The Wisdom of Anxiety, Paul reveals that anxiety, like any emotion, is a signal--a clear bodily invitation to heal and renew your trust in your choices, self-image, and core values. Weaving together practical exercises, Jungian analysis, and lyrical personal stories, Paul offers drug-free approaches for accessing the gifts in different kinds of anxiety, including the existential anxiety around questions of the soul and spirit. The Wisdom of Anxiety also gives special attention to the anxiety summoned by life's transitions, from universal concerns like the change of the seasons to major events such as a career change, marriage, or pregnancy. Title Dedication Contents List of Practices Introduction: Anxiety Is a Doorway Part One: Anxiety and Its Messages 1. Anxiety Defined and the Call to Turn Inward Symptoms of Anxiety Origins of Anxiety Anxiety Is Not a Game of Whac-A-Mole Four Key Elements: Curiosity, Compassion, Stillness, and Gratitude 2. Two Cultural Messages That Create Anxiety: The Myth of Normal and the Expectation of Happiness The Myth of Normal The Expectation of Happiness There Are No Answers, Only Guideposts to Wisdom To Be Human 3. Roadblocks to Healing The Character of Resistance Responsibility: The Key to Transformation The Escape Hatch of Perfection: A Way to Avoid Responsibility The Timeline of Healing 4. Transitions The Three Stages of Transition The Transitions That the Culture Doesn’t Talk About 5. Months and Seasons: Attuning to the Rhythms of the Year Autumn: The Season of Letting Go Winter: Season of Stillness and Gratitude Spring: The Season of Rebirth Summer: The Season of Celebration 6. The Vulnerability of Being Present No Escape Hatch from Life The Fear of Feeling Too Good Part Two: The Four Realms of Self: Healing Anxiety from the Ground Up 7. The Seat at the Head of Your Table The Qualities of a Loving Inner Parent 8. The Realm of the Body The Physical Symptoms of Anxiety Low Blood Sugar and Anxiety Food and Anxiety Alcohol and Anxiety Exercise Sleep Hormones 9. The Realm of Thoughts Intrusive Thoughts and the Cognitive Manifestations of Anxiety Accessing the Choice-Point Developing Discernment: Whatever You Water Will Grow Symbols, Metaphors, and Dreams The Metaphor of Intrusive Thoughts Living with Uncertainty: The Call of Intrusive Thoughts 10. The Realm of Feelings Anxiety Is a Placeholder for Feelings A Lifetime Habit of Avoiding Pain Early and Ancient Pain How Unshed Grief Morphs into Anxiety Turn to Face Your Fear Fundamental Human Feelings: Boredom and Loneliness 11. Longing Root Versus Secondary Longing The Lives We Will Never Live The Wisdom of Longing 12. The Realm of Soul The Well of Being The Essential Function of Healthy Rituals 13. When Anxiety Heals Anxiety and Emptiness The Fruits of the Labor Part Three: Relationships 14. The Vulnerability of Connection 15. The Romantic Connection What Is Relationship Anxiety? What Is Healthy Love? Fear Eyes or Clear Eyes: Love Is Not the Absence of Fear Key Concepts for Understanding Relationship Anxiety: Projection and the Pursuer-Distancer Syndrome 16. Parenting in an Age of Anxiety Worry Is the Work of Parenthood Three Antianxiety Medications for Parents: Gratitude, Attunement, Taking the Long View Helping Children with Anxiety Teaching Kids to Feel Their Feelings Fully Loved Epilogue Acknowledgments Appendix A: Relationship Red Flags Appendix B: Two Ways to Journal Recommendations for Further Learning About the Author About Sounds True Copyright