1276: Classic ACP Finding Joy Beyond Discomfort

In this episode Gina offers listeners a series of questions they can ask themselves and suggestions they can implement during their experience of the discomfort associated with anxiety and panic.Turning to face the discomfort we are presented with during high anxiety moments can offer us the opportunity we are seeking to overcome the discomfort.Questions to ask oneself:What if there were more beyond that?What if distracting was keeping us in the loop and holding us back from the joy in life?What if chasing the desire to make the discomfort stop is actually keeping the pain and discomfort alive?What if the joy was in going through vs giving in to distraction and running away from discomfort?What if what we are looking for is in the opening of moving through the discomfort of what we think should be different than it is?Suggestions to implement:1.Slow down2.Get to neutral and be curious about the situation (take the personalization out of it ...look at it as if you were a researcher without an agenda)3.Remind yourself why you want to get to the other side of this situation and that it is joy that is found from going through the urge to fight flee or freeze when it is discomfort that you are dealing with not true danger.Stillpoint Fridays is my once-a-week Friday note — a slower, more personal reflection that’s different from what I share on the podcast.If you’d like a quiet place to land as the week winds down, you can join here:  http://eepurl.com/bR2F9P or on our website anxietycoachespodcast.com and sign up for the newsletter.Please visit our Sponsor Page to find all the links and codes for our awesome sponsors! https://www.theanxietycoachespodcast.com/sponsors/Website https://www.theanxietycoachespodcast.comJoin our community Group Coaching Join our Group Coaching Full or Mini Membership Program1:1 Coaching Learn more about our One-on-One CoachingIf you prefer to listen AD-FREE, try our Supercast premium access membership:Learn more about anxiety What is anxiety?Free Guided Meditation for Calming Your Anxious Mind 10-Minute Body-Scan Meditation for AnxietyQuote:A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor. -Franklin D. RooseveltChapters0:28 Joy Beyond Discomfort2:58 Discomfort Isn’t Dangerous5:50 Breaking the Anxiety Cycle9:58 Growth Through Grief12:26 Three Ways to Stay Aware16:46 Reflection Questions for HealingSummaryIn this episode, we reflect on reaching episode 400 and nearing 4 million downloads, and we thank listeners for sharing the show and sending feedback. We also note that people do not need a diagnosis to benefit from the discussion, since we all experience stress and discomfort in life.We focus on the idea of finding joy beyond discomfort. We repeat that discomfort is not dangerous, and we discuss the importance of letting that understanding move beyond logic and into the body. We explore the idea that distraction can keep us stuck in anxiety cycles, while going through the feeling can lead to freedom, peace, and joy.We distinguish between smaller fears that are easier to avoid and larger life events that cannot be avoided, such as loss, accident, or ending. We suggest experimenting with the smaller situations by choosing the opposite of the usual avoidance response and approaching them with curiosity and a sense of