Trusting Through Anxiety

Hello and happy Monday!

I hope you’ve been well!

I’ve been enjoying the warm weather–it’s been a lovely mix of bright, sunny days and calm, overcast ones.

I personally love writing these letters on overcast, rainy days. For me, the darkened skies and the sound of rain lightly tapping against the pavement creates a calm, reflective atmosphere, making it a beautiful backdrop for writing.

Today’s newsletter builds on a letter I wrote about a year ago, exploring how anxiety can serve as a teacher. Every so often, I revisit past newsletters as I like to see how my thoughts and perspectives have evolved over time, shaped by the resources I’ve explored and the experiences I’ve had.

One such experience happened not too long ago when I made the decision to go back to school. While parts of me felt confident, excited, and joyful, other parts felt fearful and anxious about this decision. Self-doubt began to creep in, limiting beliefs surfaced, and my mind became flooded with “what if” scenarios. I found myself being pulled into future thinking often, with my mind and body disconnected from the present moment.

The thoughts, feelings, and emotions began to manifest as physical sensations. These sensations encouraged me to turn toward my body, listening and responding to its cues with compassion.

I decided to get curious about the sensations that were coming up. As I mentioned in the previous newsletter about anxiety being a teacher, anxiety can serve as an invitation to lean into the discomfort to learn more about our inner experiences. However, when anxiety is speaking loudly, leaning in can feel unsafe to the brain.

So, to calm my nervous system and to create space for self-exploration, I turned to practices like meditation, breathwork, Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) tapping, somatic movement, spending time in nature, and others. These tools helped restore a felt sense of internal safety, which helped me tune into what was surfacing and why.

Alongside these practices, I explored a mindset shift that served me well during this period of time. Just for fun, I let myself play out the worst-case scenario: what if I don’t get accepted into the program?

I told myself that even if that happened, it wouldn’t necessarily be a permanent “no.” And most importantly, the “no” doesn’t define my worth.

Sometimes, the delays we experience in life are seasons of preparation. This in-between season would give me the opportunity to deepen my education and gain more experience in this field. Other times, a delay might be a sign that something more aligned is out there–and that’s an exciting possibility!

Once I submitted all the required documentation, I made a conscious decision to let go–release control, detach from the outcome, and stay grounded in the present moment.

This was so difficult to do! Worry thoughts and self-doubt were still present. I experimented with acknowledging the thoughts, breathing into the corresponding emotions, and then repeating the word "trust." Trust became my anchor, gently guiding me back to the here and now. It reminded me that, no matter the outcome, I would be okay.

The seed had been planted–my intention to be accepted into the program was set. And just like a newly planted seed, I couldn’t see what was happening beneath the surface. And just because there was no visible sign of growth didn’t mean things weren’t unfolding in the most aligned timing.

The practices, along with the mindset shift, helped manage the anxiety and provided support during this time of uncertainty.

When I got the news that I’d been accepted, I expressed my gratitude and appreciation. If the outcome had been different, I would’ve given myself the time and space to feel all the emotions–and then, when it felt right, gently return to trust and faith, knowing that everything is unfolding exactly as it’s meant to.

I'm sharing this story with you because I believe these discussions are important. Anxiety is a natural response from our bodies. It's something that every person experiences. It's not inherently 'bad,' nor is it something we should try to eliminate or ignore completely. Instead, anxiety is a message from the body that can serve as a valuable guide, alerting us to when something is off. It acts as our internal alarm system, designed to keep us safe and alive.

It can be helpful to think of anxiety as a smoke detector–it might go off even when there’s no fire, but ultimately its job is to keep us safe.

Anxiety triggers our fight-or-flight response (sympathetic activation), releasing stress hormones like cortisol, adrenaline, and norepinephrine into the bloodstream. These hormones increase our alertness, enabling us to respond quickly and appropriately to situations. This response is meant to be short-lived.

In addition to this, a light sprinkle of sympathetic activation can improve both focus and productivity, which can be useful during tests, interviews, and while playing sports.

Now, this fight-or-flight response can be activated even when no real threat is present. As I mentioned in my personal story, it was the fear, self-doubt, and worries that set off my internal alarm, even though there was no actual threat to my safety.

Our brains constantly assess both internal and external stimuli, quickly categorizing our experiences as “safe” or “unsafe.” Everyday situations like driving in heavy traffic, pressures at work, intense exercise, public speaking, meeting new people, loud noises, bright lights, watching a scary movie, physical pain, or certain emotions can feel unsafe to the brain. What feels unsafe varies from person to person, shaped by our unique life experiences.

If the brain feels like it’s under constant threat, anxiety can become a chronic response. When this happens, the brain can get stuck in a loop, constantly scanning the environment for danger–even when we’re actually safe. Over time, this repeated activation creates a well-worn anxiety pathway, making the response feel automatic and habitual.

The amazing thing is that this pathway is not set in stone. Neuroplasticity reminds us that the brain is plastic, meaning new neural pathways can be created with consistent, intentional practice.

In my story, I shared some techniques I used to interrupt the neural pathways linked to anxiety. Even saying the word “trust” out loud and reframing the 'worst-case scenario' can disrupt this pathway, guiding you back to the present moment, even if it’s just for a few seconds. This teaches the brain to recognize that there’s another path it can take.

Somatic practices, like meditations, can help build new neural pathways too.

Meditation practices send messages of safety to the brain, helping calm an overstimulated nervous system and restore balance.

Breathwork, grounding, and visualization practices can help activate the parasympathetic branch of the nervous system, which is our body’s natural relaxation response. In this state, healing, rest, and emotional regulation can happen.

Meditation practices nurture both awareness and choice. As you observe your thoughts, you have a choice to either follow the thought or allow it to pass. With consistent practice, the prefrontal cortex grows stronger–the part of the brain responsible for self-regulation. It’s the voice that encourages us to slow down, pause, evaluate, and ask: Is this really a threat, and what are my options here?

Meditation is one of the many practices that can gently guide the mind and body back to a place of inner calm and balance.

Today’s practice is a somatic meditation for anxiety relief. This practice includes various techniques designed to elicit the relaxation response. Rooted in self-compassion and trust, this practice aims to calm the body, making it feel safer to invite trust into your being.

I invite you to return to this practice as often as it feels good, as repetition is key to building and reinforcing new neural pathways.

Kindly click on the image or the button below to join this practice, and I’ll meet you there!

Thank you so much for reading this letter!

I appreciate you!!!

Wishing you a wonderful day, and an awesome week!

With gratitude,

~ Rachel