I created a poll in the anxious and brave chat. I asked if your anxiety disappeared for one day what do you think you would want to do first? • go somewhere I have been avoiding • live my day without second guessing my decisions • be able to finally relax without overthinking • spend time with people I care about Most people said they simply wanted to relax without their mind constantly working against them. To me it tells us that anxiety isn't always about the fear and avoiding everything. Often it can be about never truly switching off. Even when nothing dangerous is happening to us, our minds still try to scan, analyse, plan, replay conversations in the past or imagine worst case scenarios in the future. It appears so many of us are not just tired but mentally tired too. Even when we are sitting on the sofa, our minds can still feel like they are working, and in overdrive. No wonder finally relaxing feels like a powerful wish. And this can be very exhausting, constantly having a mind that rarely gives you a moment of peace and quiet. But to me this also raised an interesting question. Is the goal actually to get rid of every anxious thought before you can allow yourself to relax. Or could there be a way where we can begin practising moments of rest even when our mind is still racing and still busy. If we wait until anxiety is completely disappeared before we can let ourselves rest while many people will most likely wait a super long time. Maybe the aim is about discovering that you can experience moments of peace, connection or enjoyment even while anxiety is with you. I would love to know what stops you from relaxing? Is it the racing thoughts, feeling guilty for resting, worrying you're missing something important or something else?
