Anxiety
We, the human race, are an anxious lot. Some amount of anxiety is beneficial, heightening our awareness and motivating us to act. Too much anxiety is debilitating. It zaps our energy, steals our creativity, and strangles life. When overwhelmed by anxiety, we cannot embrace life with hopeful anticipation because we are too worried about its dangers. On one end of the anxiety spectrum, we can carry a subtle but sustained anxiety that may lift our blood pressure or cause muscle tension but largely goes unnoticed until it builds up over time, eventually causing tension headaches or heart attacks. On the other end of the spectrum, we can have panic attacks that last as short as minutes but take our breath away, momentarily making us wish we were dead. Anxiety has many layers. It is often challenging to pinpoint the source(s) of our anxiety since by nature we are afraid and do not want to face them. But therein lies the direction of therapy—with the help of another we can face our fears for the purpose of finding rest. In the confidence of another we can sit with our fears until the courage to live grows and anxiety diminishes.