Three keys to never being consumed by anxiety again

When anxiety invades us, it’s hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. However, there are ways to use this anxiety to our advantage. This is what Dr. Wendy Suzuki, American neuroscientist and psychologist, author of the book says Your anxiety is your superpower (published April 2022 by Marabout editions). In an article published on the English website on January 2, 2023 InsiderShe explains that it’s just as important to learn to manage your stress as it is to use it wisely, to be more productive and compassionate.

Turn anxiety into action

Anxiety is a useful emotion, the author reminds. From the beginning of evolution, it was intended to prepare for physical danger by choosing either fight or flight. By identifying our concerns and taking action to overcome them, we reorient anxiety toward its primary mechanism of resolution, the mechanism of action, he affirms. In practice, we just have to list the things that bother us and find practical actions to solve them, he explains. Insider. “Simply suggesting possible outcomes can be satisfying because it brings our anxiety back to its evolutionary roots.” For example, if you’re worried about failing an exam, you can set a revision schedule to make sure you’re well prepared.

Cultivate your empathy and use it

When we ourselves are anxious, it is very likely that we feel compassion for people who share our psychological state, the author assures. Great news, according to a neurologist. “I realized my anxiety had become a superpower,” she says. This empathy especially allowed him, while working as a professor at New York University, to better understand the fears of his students. Wendy Suzuki took more time to reassure them of their fears.

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To prevent anxiety from consuming us, Wendy Suzuki suggests looking at how our loved ones deal with a similar problem and comparing it to how we cope (in this case, with anxiety). In the case of anxiety in the professional sphere, for example, a psychologist advises us to ask ourselves which colleague or superior we admire, and then analyze the state of mind in which he approaches his projects.

By following this advice and gradually mastering the management of these emotions, it may be possible to “turn your anxiety into a tool to become the person you want to be,” he concludes.