Anxiety and mindfulness. “Compulsion can become a form of anxiety, like doing things just to do them.” Jeffrey Agostinelli

Anxiety can bring you down and it can also bring down a family. It can pull your life to a halt. When I think about anxiety, I think about a time when I was about eight years old, I lived on the farm with my family and I noticed that my mom was unhappy. She cried a lot. She seemed upset and I didn’t know why.

Then she got this rash all over her hands. It was psoriasis. At first it was little patches and then it got to be on more of her hands and up her wrists. It was red and raw and very painful.

It was difficult for her to do anything. She would wear rubber gloves or cotton gloves to protect her hands. It was a really hard time because we all knew how much pain she was in and how much she was suffering. It seemed like there had to be a reason.

She went to the Doctor over and over and the Doctor didn’t know what to do. She tried different creams and nothing seemed to help. There was always this overriding feeling where I noticed how unhappy she was. It was like a desperation. Unhappiness shrouded her entire life and her personality.

Then I think she started to get focused on doing things that she liked to do. She started to knit and do crafts and other creative activities. Then the psoriasis started to go away. I don’t know if that was a coincidence but I wonder if it was the mindfulness of working on those crafts. I think this really helped her to move forward and then the psoriasis eventually left.

Guest:

• Jeffrey Agostinelli
• Featured in Mindfulness Mode Episode 49 Jeff Agostinelli: A Vipassana Retreat May Be Your Greatest Mindfulness Experience
• Check out Jeff’s Book: A Beginner’s Guide To Overcoming Anxiety: Even If You Don’t Think You Have It

Quotes:

• The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another. – William James
• If you are depressed you are living in the past, if you are anxious you are living in the future, if you are at peace you are living in the present. Anonymous
• Anxiety pushes you to start doing something before you’ve worked out what really needs to be done. Resist the push. – Alan Ashley
• It’s not the future you’re afraid of. It’s repeating the past that makes you anxious. Anonymous 

Books:

• A Beginner’s Guide To Overcoming Anxiety by Jeffrey Agostinelli
• The Mindful Way through Anxiety: Break Free from Chronic Worry and Reclaim Your Life by Susan Orsillo

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