Anxiety is a persistent visitor for many of us, showing up uninvited and overstaying its welcome. But what if the key to freeing ourselves from its grip isn’t about resolving it through thought? What if the answer lies in simply being present with it?
Anxiety thrives on our resistance and identification with it. When we think, “I am anxious,” we create a tight bond between ourselves and the anxiety. Yet, who we truly are is not the anxiety itself—we are the awareness that observes it. Anxiety, like all emotions, is something we experience, not something we are.
Presence—the act of being still and turning our attention inward—has the power to dissolve anxiety. It’s not about thinking our way out of the feeling but sitting quietly and allowing it to be. Anxiety doesn’t need to be fought or fixed; it needs to be felt. As you sit with it, even if fear arises, know that your heart can hold that fear. Anxiety cannot hurt you. It can only exist for as long as it has your resistance.
The moment we stop trying to solve anxiety through mental loops and instead allow it to be seen by our awareness, we create space for it to dissipate. Anxiety is not our enemy—it’s a signal asking for our attention. When we give it that, without judgment or analysis, it begins to lose its power.
Next time anxiety surfaces, try this: Sit quietly, feel your body, and notice the sensations that come with the anxiety. Let your awareness rest there, and remind yourself that this, too, will pass. You are not your anxiety; you are the awareness that holds it.
Comments