What is the number one issue lawyers come to me for coaching? Anxiety.
Anxiety manifests in different ways. Do any of these sound familiar?
- Always expecting the worst-case scenario
- Not being able to stop thinking about work
- Berating yourself for not being more present in your life
- Procrastination (This is super common!)
- Inability to fall asleep or stay asleep
- Other physiological reactions, such as headache, backache, or stomachache
- Perfectionism
There are many different strategies for working with anxiety but one of the most effective ways is to practice mindfulness.
What does this look like?
- Pay attention to the body! Where in the body do you experience anxiety?
- Notice the thoughts behind the anxiety.
- Apply care and self-compassion.
- Set an intention to work with the anxiety. Yes, it’s going to take a lot of patience and gentle efforting.
- Practice mindfulness daily so you can begin to see the patterns of anxiety. Over time, you’ll begin to see, when X happens, I always react by doing Y, or when A happens, I always think B. Over time, you’ll be able to shift the thought patterns and learn to settle the body.
You are not alone in your struggles with anxiety. Shame only makes anxiety worse. There are so many ways of working with anxiety — the first step is choosing to do so.