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

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.;Introduction: anxiety is a doorway -- Anxiety and its messages -- Anxiety defined and the call to turn inward -- Symptoms of anxiety -- Two cultural messages that create anxiety : the myth of normal and the expectation of happiness -- Roadblocks to healing -- Transitions -- Months and seasons: attuning to the rhythms of our year -- The vulnerability of being present -- The seat at the head of your table -- The realm of thoughts -- The realm of feelings -- Longing -- The realm of soul -- When anxiety heals -- The romantic relationship -- Parenting in an age of anxiety -- Appendix a: relationship red flags -- Appendix b: two ways to journal -- Further resources -- About the author. A counselor in the depth psychology tradition shows readers there's nothing to fear from anxiety " The Wisdom of Anxiety serves as a well-lit pathway to the truth of who we are and to how to navigate life when paralyzed by anxiety, depression, overwhelm, and a sense of hopelessness." —Alanis Morissette, singer-songwriter Work anxiety. Relationship anxiety. Social anxiety. World anxiety. Money anxiety. Health anxiety. How does reading those words make you feel? All too often, when we experience the things that give us anxiety, our first instinct is to try to run away or numb out from feeling them. But what if the unpleasant feelings you want to turn away from are actually vital sources of information about your well-being? In The Wisdom of Anxiety , counselor Sheryl Paul examines the deeper meaning of the racing thoughts, sweaty palms, and insomnia that accompany the uncertain moments of our lives. No one likes to feel anxiety—and yet, Paul asserts it can be a remarkably direct messenger of our subconscious. Here you will learn how you can pause and listen to your anxieties to discover inner truths that you've been avoiding. This lyrically written book not only considers the many forms anxieties can take, but also provides deep-dive practices for addressing them at their roots. Here you will learn: The nature of intrusive thoughts and how to manage them.How to explore states of loneliness, apathy, regret, and shame without being caught up in them.Feeling anxiety around feeling good? Discover why and what to do about it.How to cultivate your own loving inner parent.Why anxiety can arise from boredom and longing.How to create healthy and meaningful personal rituals to relieve anxiety.Navigating the many sources of anxiety in relationships. Whether it's worry around raising children, nervousness about world events, or any other way anxiety manifests, The Wisdom of Anxiety can help you uncover the true source of your discomfort and find the rich self-knowledge within. A counselor in the depth psychology tradition shows readers there's nothing to fear from anxiety " The Wisdom of Anxiety serves as a well-lit pathway to the truth of who we are and to how to navigate life when paralyzed by anxiety, depression, overwhelm, and a sense of hopelessness." ?Alanis Morissette, singer-songwriter Work anxiety. Relationship anxiety. Social anxiety. World anxiety. Money anxiety. Health anxiety. How does reading those words make you feel? All too often, when we experience the things that give us anxiety, our first instinct is to try to run away or numb out from feeling them. But what if the unpleasant feelings you want to turn away from are actually vital sources of information about your well-being? In The Wisdom of Anxiety , counselor Sheryl Paul examines the deeper meaning of the racing thoughts, sweaty palms, and insomnia that accompany the uncertain moments of our lives. No one likes to feel anxiety?and yet, Paul asserts it can be a remarkably direct messenger of our subconscious. Here you will learn how you can pause and listen to your anxieties to discover inner truths that you've been avoiding. This lyrically written book not only considers the many forms anxieties can take, but also provides deep-dive practices for addressing them at their roots. Here you will learn: The nature of intrusive thoughts and how to manage them. How to explore states of loneliness, apathy, regret, and shame without being caught up in them. Feeling anxiety around feeling good? Discover why and what to do about it. How to cultivate your own loving inner parent. Why anxiety can arise from boredom and longing. How to create healthy and meaningful personal rituals to relieve anxiety. Navigating the many sources of anxiety in relationships. Whether it's worry around raising children, nervousness about world events, or any other way anxiety manifests, The Wisdom of Anxiety can help you uncover the true source of your discomfort and find the rich self-knowledge within Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Acute Coronary Syndrome Acute Myocardial Infarction (MI) Acute Pericarditis Aortic Disection AORTIC STENOSIS ATRIAL SEPTAL DEFECT (ASD) BLOOD PRESSURE REGULATION I BARORECEPTOR PATHWAY Cardiac Tamponade CARDIC TUMORS MYXOMAS CARDIOGENIC SHOCK COARCTATION OF AORTA Complications of Acute Myocardial Infarction CONGENITAL HEART DISEASES Congestive Heart Failure Coronary Circulation Deep Venous Thrombosis EINSENMENGERS DISEASE EKG ATRIAL FIBRILLATION FETAL RED CELL PRODUCTION HEART BLOCKS HEART SOUNDS BASICS Hypertensive Emergency HYPOVOLEMIC SHOCK INFECTIVE ENDOCARDITIS Introduction to hypertension KAWASAKIS DISEASE MITRAL REGURGITATION NEUROGENIC SHOCK PATENT DUCTUS ARTERIOSUS Peripheral Vascular Disease - Atherosclerosis Prinzmetals Angina RHEUMATIC HEART DISEASE SEPTIC SHOCK Stable Angina Tricuspid Regurgitation UNDERSTANDING THE BASICS OF SHOCK No one likes to feel anxiety. But what if the unpleasant feelings you want to turn away from are actually vital sources of information about your well-being? With Sheryl Paul’s guidance in The Wisdom of Anxiety, you can find insight and peace in the midst of even your most agonizingly anxious moments.