The opposite of anxiety isn't calm

The opposite of an anxious, racing mind isn’t a calm one. Sometimes it’s a shut-down one.

When something feels like too much and your brain decides it can’t fight it or run from it, it does a third thing. It freezes. Your energy drops, the thinking part of your brain goes quiet, and starting anything feels like wading through wet mud.

From the outside, it looks like laziness. Inside, it’s the opposite of not caring.

You’ll know it as:

1. The email you’ve reread six times and still haven’t sent
2. The admin pile you “function” around for weeks
3. Going flat and silent in a conversation when you meant to speak up

So here’s something to try tonight. You can’t think your way out of a body state, so don’t try. Next time you catch yourself stalled, skip the “what is wrong with me” and say this instead: “My brain is overwhelmed right now, and it’s trying to protect me.” Then move one small thing. Stand up. Walk to the kitchen. That’s the whole job.

That’s one of five. The other four are in the full article here

Nicole Robinson​ Principal and Clinical Psychologist, ProActive Psychology ​proactivepsychology.com.au​