Sometimes having an ordinary day is just fine
For some people, anxiety is more than just an uneasy feeling that you have, and then you get over it. Anxiety disorder can be crippling. Sometimes, I wake up anxious and just can’t face the day. The fear of failure is overwhelming, and it is a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you know what it feels like to be stuck in the trench of anxiety, then Gina Ryan’s “Anxiety Wisdom and Inspiration Corner” is worth a listen.
Ryan’s approach borrows much from Buddhism. This audio course isn’t all about meditation instruction, but Ryan touts its benefits often. It is anxiety relief in the form of release, and it works.
The section called “Some Days You Just Have Nothing” says it all. Ryan is actually quoting Zen blogger, Leo Babuta, in the title of this section. Babuta is only talking about a single day, but Ryan shows us how the same sensation governs much of an anxiety sufferer’s day. “Some days you don’t knock it out of the park,” she quotes Babuta as saying. “And that’s okay.”
On the face of it, there is nothing Earth-shattering in the analogy. Except, people with anxiety disorder rarely feel that it is okay to feel the way we do. Ryan calls it normalizing having a bad day. Everyone has them, she suggests, and that’s okay.
Babuta isn’t the only outside source that Ryan acquaints us with. She has guests, who either have experience dealing with anxiety themselves or are anxiety coaches. Hearing other voices describe their journey to recovery from anxiety is refreshing and encouraging, but it is also informative. Not every tactic or realization that works for one person will necessarily work for others, of course, but knowing that there is a track record of success certainly brings with it a little credulity.
Of course, the real proof is in how much better and more equipped to deal with the anxiety I feel after listening to just one of the sections in this audio course. These are condensed podcasts, so they work better for a long commute than for listening to on a coffee break. That’s okay, too. The deep understanding that Ryan encourages just doesn’t come after a few minutes of taking instruction. It only seems to come from dedicating yourself to letting go and accepting things. And that’s okay as well.
Listen to Anxiety Wisdom And Inspiration Corner and more self improvement audio programs on Audiojoy — download free on iOS or Android.
Content Review by Harry Shelton
