We all feel worry and anxiety at different times in our lives and it seems like it’s just a normal part of being human.  But what is anxiety really?  Why do we feel it?  Is it really an unavoidable part of life?  By taking the time to ask ourselves these questions and bring the answers into the light of our awareness, we have the opportunity to look more deeply into ourselves and the roots of our anxiety.  When we do, we are guided to a new possibility of finding a way to be free of it and to have a deeper experience of our true spiritual essence and the natural state of unconditional well-being and peace within us.

So what is anxiety and why do we feel it?

If you’ve done some research on this, you’ll see that there are a whole variety of different answers to that question… medical, hormonal, psychological.  However, I prefer to look more deeply into the experience of anxiety and worry and look at the underlying spiritual issues that cause us to feel this way.

It’s all about trust

From my perspective, I believe that anxiety is really a reflection of a lack of trust in ourselves and in the perfect unfolding of our lives and of the universe.  We’re just not sure that we will be able to experience life the way we would like it to be and that thought causes us great distress.  But why is that?  Let’s go even deeper into the underlying beliefs that trigger this anxiety in us.

What’s underneath our worry?

This kind of thinking, this lack of trust, causes us anxiety because it reflects an underlying belief that our well-being depends on and comes from our external experience of life, from what happens outside of us.  A part of us deeply believes that we cannot be happy unless we are able to experience life the way we have envisioned it to be: the prosperity, the success, the relationships, etc.

To put it another way, I think that what we are really worried about is that our well-being and happiness depend on having what we believe we need.  We believe we’ll be deeply unhappy without enough money, or without a loving relationship, or without good health, or without success, or whatever it is we’re focusing on wanting.

However, I’d like you to consider the possibility that these ideas may not be true.

The conditions

These thoughts that we need things to be a certain way in our lives for us to be happy are the conditions we are placing on our happiness — right now and in the future.  We tell ourselves we cannot really be happy until we have these things.  Even though these challenges seem very real, and may feel like they are dominating our lives and preventing us from feeling happy, there is another choice, another perspective we can take that can relieve us of this suffering.

The key questions to consider

Deep down, what we all really want is to be happy.  We think getting what we want will get us there, but what if there was another way?  You can see for yourself what I mean.  Take a moment to think about something you’re worrying about right now and then think about the following questions:

1.  What if you could still be happy, still feel peace and joy and well-being even without having things turn out the way you want them to?

Stop and see how that feels before going on to the next question.

2.  Would you be willing to let go of the need for this situation to turn out the way you want it to… if it meant that you could feel happy in your life no matter what happens?

3.  Even if it things don’t work out the way you want them to, could you allow yourself to be happy anyway?

It’s interesting to think about, isn’t it?

I’m not saying that the outcome you want won’t happen one way or the other; I just want you to consider the possibility that your well-being doesn’t depend on it happening.  When you realize that, you can feel from a deeper place within you that you can prefer for this situation to be resolved in a particular way, but your happiness doesn’t depend on it.  When you really understand that, you become free.  Free to feel peace and well-being no matter what is happening in your life.

Feeling our natural well-being

Beneath our habitual patterns of thinking, there’s a place of quiet peace that is beyond our minds.  When we question our beliefs and assumptions with questions like the ones above, it gives us a bit of breathing room and lets us feel that place of deeper peace within us.  Truly, your well-being is unconditional.  It is your spiritual essence.  Anything else is just a thought in the moment and you can choose to let it go.  This is what I mean by allowing ourselves to experience our natural state of unconditional well-being and happiness.

The spiritual practice of anxiety

Transforming your anxiety is a powerful spiritual practice.  The first step is to realize that you’re worrying and then remind yourself that your well-being doesn’t depend on anything outside of you.  This helps you to shift from that place of worry and anxiety to that deeper place of unconditional peace and happiness within you.  The more you do it, the deeper and more sustained your feelings of peace will become.  You’ll feel from a deeper place within you that all is well and that everything is really unfolding perfectly in your life and experience.

Resources to help you get there

You can use a number of different tools and techniques to help you feel your natural state of unconditional well-being more deeply in your life, including my PEP for peaceful well-being process.  My membership site, our Circle of Light, also has lots of wonderful recordings and resources to help you get there as well.  In my next few blog posts, I’ll share some of these techniques that can help you get there.  Until then, I’d love to hear about your experience and thoughts and answer any questions you may have.  Please feel free to leave me a comment in the box below this post and I’ll be happy to reply.

I wish you many blessings and I’ll see you next time.

Laura