Don't Let Anxiety Stand in the Way of Change
Has this ever happened to you? You feel inspired to change your life and decide to take the first steps. You Google “How to change my life” and get loads of free tips from various experts.
All of them talk about how smart people need SMART goals. It makes sense. Inspired, you open your laptop and create your own SMART goals list. You are feeling pretty good.
What happens next? If you are like most leaders, the tasks of life get in the way. You get consumed managing your usual responsibilities or find that new challenges are now demanding your attention, time and energy.
As usual, days pass and you lose track of your SMART goals. Weeks turn into months. Worse, you begin telling yourself that you are not really capable of changing. Your mind feeds you a constant dialogue of self-doubt, worry and blame.
This is your anxiety speaking. It is your brain’s way of trying to keep you safe by avoiding having to do the nerve-wracking things that change requires you to do.
Change is scary. Without accountability and a guide keeping you on track, you are bound to fall into your usual habits of self-doubt and staying stuck. Change is possible only if you get out of your own way.
A qualified therapist can show you how.
For more tips on how to get unstuck from anxiety, follow the Healing Hearts Blog.
Written by: Hazel Navarro, LICSW