𝗘𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘄𝗲 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗼𝗼 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵

Let’s discuss stress, feeling overwhelmed, anxiety, worry, avoidance, excitement, dread, fear, and vulnerability.

Stress occurs in unpredictable situations where we feel overloaded and powerless. Our body's response includes a faster heart rate and increased cortisol levels. How we perceive our ability to cope greatly influences our emotional reaction.

Feeling overwhelmed surpasses stress, leaving us unable to function. Unlike stress, where we can still focus and seek help, being overwhelmed disrupts our thoughts and leaves us unsure of how to proceed or find solutions.

We don’t know where we are, or how to find out our way out.

We must engage in “non doing time” to free ourselves from overwhelm giving our mind and body to catch up, recover.

Anxiety is a heightened sense of lost control, worst-case thinking, and uncertainty. It can be temporary or a part of one’s personality. “I am an anxious person”. Struggling with anxiety often triggers worry and avoidance, making self-awareness crucial in managing these responses.

Excitement can feel a lot like anxiety. Take a deep breath and try to determine whether we’re feeling anxiety or excitement.

Dread arises when we anticipate a negative future outcome, intensifying as the event nears. Even if the outcome is positive, the buildup of dread can leave us too drained to fully enjoy it.

Anxiety and Dread are future focused.

Fear is a short-term, intense response to an immediate threat, stemming from danger, pain, or harm. It can be a temporary state or a trait, varying among individuals.

Though anxiety, fear, and dread feel unpleasant, acknowledging them and exploring their causes through our emotional layers—biology, biography, behaviors, and backstory—can help us understand and respond to them more effectively in the future.

Vulnerability, often mistaken for weakness, is facing uncertainty, risk, and emotional exposure. Courage arises from embracing vulnerability, turning it into an opportunity to act bravely.

Our ability to recognize and label our emotions can help us define our experiences