Anxiety

36:11

36:11

Anxiety

by Glenn Ambrose

Rated

4.5

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talks

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Meditation

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Everyone

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14.1k

Anxiety is a growing issue in our world. In this episode, Glenn delves into an inspiring and supportive discussion on how we can manage and process situations to help prevent the effects of anxiety in our lives.

Anxiety Perspective Fear Mindfulness Emotional Processing Resilience Ptsd Trauma Life Coaching Quantum Physics Emotional Resilience Spiritual Awakening Childhood Trauma Future Worries Perspective Shift Spirits

Meet your Teacher

Jamao al Norte, Dominican Republic

Meet your Teacher

Jamao al Norte, Dominican Republic

Transcript

Welcome to Life, Lessons, And Laughter with your host Glenn Ambrose. Hey everybody, Welcome to the show. So here we are, We're on Life, Lessons, And Laughter recording and we're talking about anxiety. That's good. How does that make you feel, Ben? Okay. No, That's the wrong answer. You're supposed to say anxious. No, This makes me feel okay. I had anxiety this morning. I still am having some anxiety at the moment, But that's just because I'm an anxious person. Oh, No, You're not. I'm not an anxious person? No, You are not. Oh, Well then maybe you should help me think about this in a different way. What a great way to start. I wasn't sure how we're going to begin and this is a perfect way, So thank you. That's a very common misconception and it's not just with anxiousness, It's other things too. But that always, Whenever somebody says something like that, The red flags go, Whenever they say I'm a certain type of person. And I mean, There are types of people, But anxious isn't one of them. God doesn't make anxious people. It's not like, Oh, Okay, I'll make this one with brown hair and I'll make this one with anxiety and I'll make this one with blue eyes. So we're not anxious people. It's just a matter of whether we have some anxiety or not. And I mean, Most of our anxiety is based in how we're processing the information that we're experiencing in life, How we're processing situations and stuff. And I think one of the reasons why anxiety is so on the rise is, I mean, It makes perfect sense why it's on the rise because I mean, If you look at society in general, We're very busy where we're living life just one thing after another. And basically the biggest problem, If you look at the last 130 podcasts or so, It's just about shifting your perspectives about how you're looking at information coming in. So you can take any life situation that's causing you anxiety and if you slow down enough and hit the brakes and find a way to look at it in a healthier way, Then it won't be producing the anxiety. But what happens is a situation comes in and we're not sure how to deal with it or we'll just stick with the word. It makes us feel anxious for some reason or another. And then we go and do our next thing. Like, Something comes in, We go, Oh my God, That makes me feel anxious. Okay, What do I need to do now? Well, I have to get gas in the car and then I have to head over there. And then like, You know, We never stop and go, Oh, Wait a minute, Now why am I anxious? Why is this making me feel anxious? Is there another way that I can look at it? How should I be processing this information so that it doesn't induce anxiety? You know, Generally we don't do that. That's why living consciously and mindfulness is so important. And it's on the rise. It's just anxiety is on the rise in front of it. So anxiety is on the rise here and mindfulness is coming and it's trying to catch up because it's basically the solution for anxiousness is being more mindful and learning to process information differently. How do you like them apples? To quote Matt Damon. I don't think Matt Damon is the only person that's ever said that. No, But he did it so well in that movie, Man. And plus being from Massachusetts, It holds a special place in my heart. So yeah, So I am someone who has literally been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. It'll be 10 years ago this November when H1N1 and the swine flu and stuff was going around. And I caught it from some kids that were in a play that I was directing at a high school and I had a really bad experience with it and I almost died. And I was in the hospital for like eight weeks or more, You know, And stuff like that. And it was rough. And then like six months after that was all over, You know, When the gratitude of like being okay left, What was then diagnosed as PTSD came in, Which was basically any time I feel not in control of something or overwhelmed, I start to get very anxious. And for a while in like 2012-ish, I was starting to have like some tics, Like I was blinking a lot and I always felt like I was going to pass out soon or like something bad was going to happen. You know what I mean? Like being hyper alert to everything. And that still happens sometimes when things get really overwhelming. You know, I still have that hyper alertness and that's really how the anxiety happens. And it really happened a lot when I feel not in control of something. So sometimes literally like driving on the highway and like glancing up at the blue sky will make me think about like how big everything is. And that will sometimes lead to an anxiety attack, Which is crazy because it's not something that used to happen. So this is something that like I definitely have dealt with for years. Yeah. And I mean, I've seen you go do things that back in 2012-ish you never could have done. You know, So there's by shifting perspectives and getting healthier and being able to talk yourself down. And I mean, You know, Like the opening of the show I think was probably good because it's, You know, It just touches on general anxieties. But there's cases of more intense anxiety too. And you know, That's not like, You know, You can't snap your fingers and just be like, Oh, Okay. Oh, Really? I wasn't looking at something right. Oh, Okay, Glenn. You know, Thank you. And then you go off and everything's all better. I mean, You know, It can take work to work through this stuff. It's just, You know, Like, I think we have to understand that we're not broken. You know, We're so trained in our society to look at symptoms as the problem. It's like, Well, I have anxiety. So you know, So that's how I am. It's like, No, That's a symptom. There's something that's causing the anxiety that you can actually work through. And that includes PTSD. I mean, You know, That's it's you can work through PTSD. And there's, You know, And I get that there's extreme situations. And I get that it's not easy. You know, I get that. And I also get that people with a severed spine shouldn't walk. And yet some of them do. Like it, You know, It's possible. Everything has happened before in this world. So it is possible. And I think that that's where we have to start, Because it's, You know, It's just expanding the mind. And I was just watching a show with somebody and I'm not going to say his name because I'm going to get it wrong. But he's he's a quantum physicist and he's really big in the spiritual world right now. And and he was talking about this where he does workshops. And I mean, He's seen everything. And you know, He has like thousands of people at his weeklong workshops and people are standing up just being completely cured of cancer. And you know, And I mean, In extreme cases that they weren't supposed to survive. And you know, Like he was just talking about this the other day. And it's so anything is possible. So that's where we have to start is opening our mind and understanding that we're not broken. It's just that there's a disconnect somewhere. There's a disconnect on how we're processing information or how we how we processed an original trauma, You know, And you can go back into that trauma and start chipping away at it and start releasing some of that trapped energy that is down there and re aligning how you're looking at things piece by piece and and get to the point where where there's where you don't have the anxiety. You know, When somebody experiences a trauma, It doesn't. It can, You know, It can store energy and it can knock you off center. But that doesn't mean that you're broken and you can't be fixed. It's just you need to do some stuff to get back. You know? Yeah. It's funny because I you kind of forget sometimes like what you were like, You know what I mean? Like when something so this thing that happened in 2009 was a great like marker to go like this is what caused it and boom since then anxiety. Right? Yeah. But I'm like, You don't know, Because when I was in middle school and like my parents would go to the doctors and then they would be like running late, You know, And this was before everybody had cell phones and stuff. I would freak out. Yeah. That they were late and not coming back. And and that had a lot to do with the fact that when I was nine, You know, My sister passed away in a car accident. Right. So then it's easy to go back and go, OK, That's what triggered all of this anxiety. And it's continued on. Right. But then I thought about how like recently I thought about how I was in third and second grade, Which was before that. And I was petrified of the fire drill. Yeah. I thought. If there was a fire drill, We were all going to die. I would I didn't learn a lot in third grade because literally every single day when I got to school, I sat at a desk and I looked outside the window of the door at the fire alarm every day, Praying to God that there would not be a fire drill today like a mantra. Yeah, That's a little that's a little anxiety filled. So why? So where did that how do you even know where that started then? If you keep going back in your entire life, You've been an anxious person. Well, You don't or you've had anxiety. Sorry. Well, You don't necessarily need to know where it came from, You know, And that like you don't need to know where it came from to be able to fix it. So you don't need to identify that, Which is the good news. You know, But it's but like, I mean, That's you know, We all I think we all develop a certain level of anxiety, Some more than others as children. And I think our level of sensitivity affects it. You know, Some people are just like, You know, We all come into this world knowing the truth, Knowing that we're loved and everything is OK. And then also, You know, Society, Including our parents and everybody else that's in the society starts teaching us something different. And that's disconcerting. Yeah. You know, Like, Like, I can't listen to my body to tell me when I'm hungry and I have to go sit at a desk for six hours a day, Even though I just want to play. And I have to like there's all these rules and and things that we learn. And basically, It's disconnecting us from our truth as we're being domesticated into this world. And that's that breeds anxiety. You know, So I think we all have certain levels of it. And then, Of course, Like I said, I think depending on the sensitivity of the person, It can be more extensive. And I also think that, You know, The more and more I do this, I think that the people who are waking up now and that are on a spiritual path are the ones who had a real hard time forgetting their truth when they were little. You know, So it's the people who had more anxiety their entire lives, Who have struggled more than some of the other people. You know, Like, You know, I think of my father and my father, You know, I'm sure I'm sure his life wasn't perfect. I'm sure he had his struggles. But boy, He just seemed to fit into society well. You know, And I mean, I guess, You know, That's compared to me, Who didn't fit into society at all. So I guess, You know, The bar is low. But I mean, He really did. He just seemed to fit in the society. You know, He seemed to go to school and did well, You know, At least to some degree, You know, And then went to college and got a job and did what he needed to do. And he didn't get so hung up on the same things I got hung up on. I resisted everything, You know, And I think that a lot of us, It's like if you have a strong connection to your spiritual truth, And you're being domesticated, And it's so strong in you that you're going, No, Like, This can't be right. Like this can't be right. I think that causes more anxiety than somebody that just goes, Oh, You want me to believe this? Okay. And then they just accept it. You know, So I think the levels of sensitivity and a lot of us that have struggled in different ways in life, I think that that's a sign that our spirituality is strong, And that we're destined to wake up in this lifetime. I think I had a rough childhood, You know, Even very young, I couldn't understand, Like I grew up in a rough neighborhood, And I just wanted to be like everybody's friend. I was friendly. I just wanted to play like, And people would pick on me for stupid reasons. And I didn't understand it, You know. And I mean, I used to go in my room and cry and cry and cry. I mean, For like daily, It was just heart wrenching. And I used to get so jacked up, Like out playing sometimes with an anxious, If I got too excited, Playing, I would have to come in. I remember coming in and having to lay on the couch and my mom would put like a cold ice pack on my forehead and give me some water, Because my heart was like beating out of my chest in an anxious way, Not in a healthy way. I'd get, You know, I guess so wound up that like I'd start shaking and stuff. And so I think I had that in, You know, Levels of anxiety, Which increased dramatically as I get older, You know. So I self-medicated with drinking, You know. Drinking could calm my nerves and make me feel better momentarily, You know. So I think that there's a strong correlation between refusing to forget our spiritual truth and the levels of anxiety we meet growing up, You know. Then if we have a trauma later on, Then all of a sudden it impacts it in a greater way. So that's blah, Blah, Blah. That's what I think about that. Man, We both got real personal in this episode. Yeah, We did. But it was kind of cool because I think we've worked through a lot of it. I mean, I know I have and I think you have as well. And it's, You know, It was kind of matter of fact. See, So that's a piece right there. So like when you work through something and you release the emotional energy around it, The emotional trauma energy around it, Then when you talk about it, It's not emotionally charged. It's like, You know, I wasn't feeling the anxiety. It was as I did as a child as I was talking about it. I was just talking about it matter of factly. And I think you were too. And now other people who haven't processed through their anxiety of specific things, They'll start talking about it and the anxiety starts building right up in them. You know, So that's a sign that you've done some work on it. When you can talk about things from your past and it doesn't shoot your anxiety through the roof. Right. You know, And it can also give us some hope that we can work through the rest of this stuff. So the first time that we talked about anxiety at all on the podcast was one of our early episodes about fear. And you just did a vlog last week about love and fear. And you've said many, Many times on the show that love and fear are kind of like, You know, A coin and those are the only options. Like it's either out of love or out of fear. And that anxiety is a result of fear. You know, So can you talk about that a little bit? Yeah, I mean, Anxiety is a version of fear. So and to be specific, It's usually connected quite possibly always connected to the future. You know, Like generally we feel guilt, Regret, Things like that about the past. When we're feeling anxious, It's usually attached to the future. So that it's like the future version of fear. So, So like when we're feeling anxious, That means we're scared of what's going to we're fearful of what's going to happen in the future. You know, And that that's what that feeling is called anxiousness or anxiety. You know, So it's it's future based. So you know, And you touched on it right away. It's like you said, Well, When I'm in situations that I can't control, We're right. So why do we try to control things so we can feel safe in the future? We don't we don't want to come up on something unexpected in the future and then not be able to handle it. You know, So so that's you know, So it is it's the future version of of fear, Basically. So you know, What we have to do is kind of start getting realistic. I like with with big things. The bigger it is, The further you need to step back to make sense. So kind of stepping all the way back. If we understand that we're not supposed to be feeling safe here from things that happen on Earth because they're ever changing, You know, Everything always changes. So if you're deriving your sense of safety by basically controlling things, That means that you're going to try to prevent them from changing or control how they change, Which we literally can't do. So so but see what happens, Though, Is like we can control little things every once in a while to some degree because we're very intelligent. So we we pick up on patterns. And so, You know, When there's when there's patterns like, You know, If I go over and I pick up my water, Like if I bring my hand over there, You know, Multiple times picking up my water, Then I start trusting that I can do that. So then I think I'm controlling the situation right up until the point where I'm all you know, I scooted up in my chair and I didn't realize I wasn't conscious of it. I go to bring my hand over there and I knocked the water over and I'm like, Oh, Crap, You know. So then also, I remember that I can't control everything again, You know, But there's little things in that we want control so much that there's little things in our lives that we seemingly can control, At least to some degree or for a certain period of time. And then we derive unconscious sense of safety from that. And we think that that's what we're supposed to be doing. But the reality is, Is we can't and there's a part of us that knows that. So it never fully works. So we're always living in a level of anxiety, You know, As long as we think we're going to get our sense of safety from controlling the outcomes of the future, Then we're always going to have that sense of anxiety. So we can't, Since we can't get our safety on the earth plane, That's what spirituality is for. You know, That's the two parts of us. We're supposed to anchor in the reality that we are spiritual beings having a human experience. So we can derive our sense of safety knowing that we're eternal, Knowing that we are loved, Knowing that, You know, Anchoring in our spirituality and feeling that unconditional constant love from our creator and just anchor in that. And then we can go interact with the world. You know, I always liken it to a movie. So it's like, You know, You're at a movie and when somebody comes out with a gun, You don't dive under the seat because you know you're safe. Now your heart rate can go up because you get you can get scared for a minute or excited or you can laugh or you can cry. So you can experience the full range of emotions, But yet there's still an underlying sense of safety that you can anchor yourself in so you don't get too carried away. And that's kind of how we're supposed to be interacting with life. You know, Our sense of safety needs to be derived from our source and we need to be anchored in that. And then all of a sudden when we know we're eternal, We know we're safe, We know we're okay, Then how we interact with life can be taken a little less seriously. We don't have to try to control everything. You know, It becomes more like an adventure and it becomes more fun. You're like because you're not worried about it. It's like we can handle everything at the moment. Like in the moment we're in, Like if we were if we were able to walk through life completely present all the time, We would never have a problem ever. Because like if somebody jumped out with a gun, We would just instinctively know what to do. If a bear attacked us, We would instinctively know what to do. If we were trying to figure out if you should stop and get groceries or if you should do this instead, You would instinctively know what to do. We can instinctively handle any situation if we're present and in the moment. But what we try to do is handle all of life at once. You know, We're trying to handle what's going on in the present moment and we're also trying to handle the future. We're trying to you know, We're trying to put things in place so we can control them so we don't experience anything we don't like in the future. And it's you know, How's that working for you? Yeah, One of the one of the best spiritual questions ever. How's that working for you? I have absolutely no idea how long this show has been. Oh, Really? Yeah, I started without. So yeah, Little technical thing for you guys. The way that we used to record, I could see the timestamp, No problem. But now that we're on video, You know, Far away from each other, There's no ticker anywhere. So I usually use a stopwatch and I we were well into the show when I remembered to turn the stopwatch on my phone. And at the current moment, We're at 18 minutes. I believe that we're probably around 30. Yeah. So and I think that we've covered a lot of it, You know. So is there anything that you want to say before we wrap it up about anxiety? Because I think that we covered a ton of, You know, Living in the present. It's the fear of future, It's future fear, You know, Dealing with the core of it. Like I think that, You know, We've covered a lot of stuff. So assuming that we can only possibly have 10 more minutes left, And I know we definitely don't. What else would you want to touch on? Well, I think it's dealing with the day to day, You know, Start chipping away when there's something that you have anxiety about, Or if you can figure it out, You know, How do you deal with that? So I think it's the way we work is we process things intellectually, And then that triggers an emotion. So you know, That's why you can have two different people who experience the same situation and one experiences anxiety and the other one doesn't. It's because how that it's how they're processing the information coming in. So if you're looking at anything that causes anxiety, And this could be everyday life to something specific, You have to look at how you're processing that. Like why is it inducing the anxiety? So if I look at something and I go, Okay, Well, You know, Like I've just taken everyday activity, Like let's say I'm supposed to meet somebody and I realized that I need to get gas before I go. So I might be late. Well, The first thing that goes, My heart rate shoots up. Oh, No, I'm going to be late. You know, Okay, Well, And now if I just stay in that energy and rush around, Then the next, You know, Half an hour of me stopping and getting gas and getting there is going to be filled with anxiety because I'm going to be rushing. I'm going to think something's wrong, You know, But if I can stop and go, Okay, Just wait a minute. Yes, I need to get gas. Has anybody ever forgot that they needed to get gas before? Yeah. You know, So, Okay, So relax. It happens. So just text the person you have to meet or call them if possible. If not, It's okay. And you know, Worst case scenario, You're five, 10 minutes late, Every once in a while that happens, You can apologize when you get there. But rushing around and feeling this anxiety for the next half an hour is not going to improve the situation. It doesn't help. It doesn't help you move quicker. It doesn't help you be more productive. You know, And oftentimes we think it does. And actually being calm, It makes us more productive. It helps us not forget our keys when we run out the door, You know, And not drop things or trip or be distracted while driving. So the calmer we are, The better we're going to function. So just taking that moment to settle down and, You know, We can do that with anything. Just look at what is causing you anxiety and then saying, Okay, Is me walking through this situation filled with anxiety going to better the situation? No, It's not. And that answer is no, Always. In case you're wondering. So once you get there, Then you just need to figure out a healthier way to process the information. You know, And it's like people feel bad about somebody sick. Oh my God, I have to feel bad for them. And it fills them with anxiety. Is that helping them? No. It's not helping them. So just stop like what can help them? You know, So it's I always remember my friend who had who had who was dealing with cancer that I grew up with. And we went and climbed Mount Monad knock in New Hampshire just to go climb Mount Monad knock in New Hampshire, Because it's fun, You know, And and we got up there. And at some point in the day, He was like, Man, He's like, It's so nice being out here with you. You don't treat me like I'm sick. And I was like, Yeah, Well, You know, I don't I don't see the I don't see the benefit in that. Like, He goes, Well, It's really nice at home. You know, Everybody obviously cares about me. And they treat me like I'm sick very often. And you don't do that. Like, Why don't you do that? And I was like, Well, I just don't see a benefit. Like I don't I don't see how that helps you feeling bad for you and treating you with kid gloves. I don't I don't see how that helps you. I think maybe getting out in the fresh air and doing some exercise might help you and might make you feel good, You know, Clear your mind, Stuff like that. But, You know, And I told him, I said, You know, When you told me I had you had cancer, I just sat down and I thought about it. And I was like, Is there anything I can do to help him? And I was like, Well, We could go spend a day together. But I don't really have the money right now to donate towards a cure for cancer. And I don't have a lot of time right now as a single parent starting my own business to to really, You know, Put a lot of my energy into a cancer cure. So if I don't have any way to work towards a solution, I'm just going to take it off my plate and not worry about it. And if there's anything I can do, I will do that. And so if I can't do anything solution based, Then I just wipe it right off my plate. I don't worry about it. I don't think about it. If I can do something that I do. And that's kind of how I try to live my life. And it's really minimizes the anxiety I have to deal with, Because I'm not worrying about a bunch of stuff that I can't control. So there's a little day to day example. And then there's a bigger example. I think those two things are ways to deal with anxiety. And the last piece, I think, Is quite honestly, You know, Usually you can't fix a problem with the consciousness that created it. Thank you, Albert Einstein. So so we know that. So a lot of times, Honestly, This is one of those things that if anxiety is a huge issue, Getting some help with that is, You know, Usually increases your success dramatically. So think about getting a life coach or therapist or counselor or somebody that can help you with this stuff type of stuff. But you don't have to live like that forever. It's not you're not broken. And that's the and that's the most important thing. And that is definitely what has helped me the most. All right. Thanks, Man. If you want to contact Glenn for life coaching or find all the podcasts and blogs and blogs and all that stuff, Check out Glenn Ambrose dot com. If you want videos of this and every other show and even more backstage sort of behind the scenes stuff, Check out Patreon dot com slash Glenn Ambrose. The best way to support the show. Thanks, Glenn. Thank you, Ben. All right. Thanks, Everybody, For listening and we will talk to you soon.

4.5 (303)

Recent Reviews

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Valerie

February 4, 2025

good reminder that when we live more in the present, we instinctively know how to navigate each moment. It's like trying to control a video game with a disconnected controller. No matter how hard we try, we can't dictate the outcome.

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Alice

June 6, 2022

Another great discussion. One thing I learned about myself, a certified worry wart 😛 is my worrying was a form of control. In situations where I had zero control, I would worry to feel like I was doing something which gave me the illusion of control- or as Helen Keller said, worry is like a rocking chair. There’s a lot of movement but you’ve not going anywhere- thanks again Glenn 🙏

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Esme

June 3, 2021

That last point really made me think. Like, I’m allowed to not worry about things I can’t control?? Thank you that was very insightful information.

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Danielle

May 3, 2021

Really enjoyed it. He made a few points that hit home for me

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Rebecca

April 13, 2021

Helped me come back from a mounting anxiety attack. Heart still pounding, but feeling more relaxed, less tense, and definitely calmer. Thanks for sharing this, guys. I see you and the light within you. Be well. 🤲🏻❤🤲🏻

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Fabienne

February 14, 2021

This was full of resonating insights, including the correlation with the level of sensitivity. Precious. Thank you 🙏

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Patty

July 14, 2020

enjoyed the discussion

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Kerry

April 28, 2020

I’m so glad I heard this tonight. You both helped me a lot.

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Jose

February 8, 2020

Beautiful talk! Thank you 🙏❤💛😍🌷

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Teresa

November 1, 2019

Very informative and helpful.

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Fernando

August 21, 2019

Coming in to this talk I had an unusually high anxiety level over unexpected news. Being a meditation teacher, I have my tools, my "medicine", yet needed a more potent dose. I literally meditated during this whole talk. It has some really valuable gems. It all boils down to being here, now, and taking the time to reflect on the possible root causes of anxiety, to unwind the charge it carries into the present.

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Jennifer

June 11, 2019

Great podcast, really brought some things to light for me!

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Sasha

May 4, 2019

Really needed to hear this today. My boss at work gives me so much anxiety partly because I’m an empath and I struggle with blocking his negative energy from affecting me, and partly because he’s pretty abusive and although I’m working on setting healthy boundaries, it reminds me of my abusive ex’s and triggers anxiety in me which leads me to lower performance at work. This talked helped so much. I just need to implement more mindfulness thoughout my day at work and take time to check in with myself and how I’m feeling while still creating space from my boss so his negativity stays with him and not with me. Just as I’m about to head into work on a Saturday to work one on one with him too! Wish me luck :) Thanks Glenn and Ben. I listen to your talks every morning on my way to work. It helps me set an intention for my day and gives me little reminders that I’m doing the best I can and that’s all I can do. Really helps me shift my perspective from worrying about my day to just being present in my day and heading into work with a positive mindset and open heart. Blessed be.

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Chuck

March 18, 2019

So much helpful insight in every episode. Thanks Glenn & Ben!

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Colleen

March 18, 2019

Excellent and practical advice for dealing with anxiety. 🙂 Thank you! 🙏🏾👍🏾❤️

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Kristine

March 16, 2019

Interesting and insightful! Thank you

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Lynette

March 16, 2019

Very good perspectives!! Thanks!

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Peaceful

March 16, 2019

Another great one! Anxiety! Yikes! I have awesome power tools to help me when I get anxious! One of them is listening to podcasts! Haha!

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Frances

March 15, 2019

Some useful ideas, fab as always, thanks Glenn and Ben 💜 x