Delete this if you've never struggled with anxiety.

If you’ve ever been derailed by anxiety, keep reading.

If not, this email probably isn’t for you.

Anxiety is rough, and if you’ve dealt with it for any length of time, it can feel like a sponge that soaks up the joy of nearly every present moment.

Everyone else enjoys themselves in situations that seem harmless but tie you in knots inside.

Why?

Here’s the rub, anxiety is a feature, not a bug.

I know that may be difficult to hear, but it’s the truth. The wheels come off the bus for us because we don’t know how to use this “feature.”

In other words, our responses are the bugs.

What does that mean?

Anxiety serves a purpose; it warns us of danger. This is where most people roll their eyes because they “already know that.”

It’s not the kind of danger you think.

Anxiety is the warning system that alerts us of an incoming choice that needs to be made.

The higher the perceived stakes of the choice, the “louder” the signal.

The key word here is perceived because, as you know, it’s frighteningly easy to get worked up about things that don’t matter.

The silver lining is that the choice is almost always binary. A or B, black or white.

The choice is some variation of accepting the status quo or taking action to create change.

Retreat or forge a path.

Anxiety is the built-in mechanism that forces us to take responsibility for our actions and circumstances regardless of “whose fault” it is.

Weekly challenge

When you feel anxious this week, sit with it. (When I say sit with it, I really mean go for a walk with it because humans are wired to process things on the move, not plastered to the couch)

Ask yourself what choice is being presented and what consequences will follow for options A and B.

Make your choice, and then own it.

Let me know how it goes.