Generalized anxiety sits "on top" of unprocessed emotional pain. If you did not receive soothing care, protection and support during painful events in your past, you likely did not develop the ability to regulate yourself.
Without compassionate support at the time of your emotional injuries, you might have silenced your pain and even blamed yourself for your negative experiences. Generalized anxiety shows up as worry. Worry can mask the fear that you might not be able to handle the painful feelings that were not cared for in the past.
Staying in Your Body
When we have generalized anxiety, we worry excessively and have trouble staying grounded in our bodies. We might unconsciously fear that if we do not have "worry thoughts" to anchor to, we could disintegrate from the intensity of our emotional pain. Generalized anxiety appears and preoccupies us when we are afraid that our deeper feelings might be too unbearable to feel.
To heal generalized anxiety, you need to practice staying grounded in your body. See: "How to Ground in Your Body." When you are grounded, you can more deeply experience your emotions, and find the words and a steady presence that can bring honour to your adverse human experiences. As you honour what you have been through, you can transform your worry- thoughts into self-empowering thoughts.
Healing Daily Worry
Generalized anxiety is the excessive and exaggerated worry about everyday life with no obvious or logical reasons for the worry. People with symptoms of generalized anxiety tend to expect some kind of disaster, and can't stop worrying about health, money, family, work, or school.
When you pay attention to what makes you feel vulnerable and explore the intensity of your emotional pain, you will find words to symbolize your emotions. Turning bravely and directly toward your pain you can modulate your distress, soothe yourself, access new strengths, and learn how to express your feelings and needs to others.
Support for Excessive Worry
A therapeutic relationship focuses on:
a. Support to build a stronger sense of self.
b. Support to experience your disowned emotions and make sense of your life story.
c. Support to change the ways that you avoid your emotions.
d. Support to heal past emotional injuries.
e. Support to practice self-soothing when you are worrying.
With love,
Shelley