Pause, to Move Forward: When Anxiety Attacks

Despite years of managing what I thought was "controlled" anxiety through therapy, meditation, exercise, and diet changes, it overwhelmed me once again.

"Pause, to move forward"...

This is what I told myself in June this year...

After weeks battling daily anxiety attacks.

Anxiety isn't just about the inability to breathe or to think clearly; it's a blockage that stifles every synapse, leaving you incapable of connecting thoughts or functioning normally.

Does this sound familiar to you?

Well, this happened to me after having anxiety "under control" for years!

Between therapies, meditation, exercises, and changing my diet, I thought I had found the formula and that anxiety would never be a problem again.

But it wasn't the case... Here is my journey through anxiety, maybe you can relate!

Ever since I was about 15 years old, I always said: "I am anxious." For years, I labelled myself as an anxious person, a self-identification that I now realize was my first mistake.

If you also tell yourself "I am anxious," keep reading because I'll tell you how you are also mistaken.

The first time I went to therapy, I was 21 years old. I underwent psychoanalysis for two years. I talked about thousands of topics: they asked me about my parents, my grandparents, my siblings, school, my friends, my boyfriends, etc., etc. It seemed that talking on and on to a psychoanalyst was going to solve the problem, but no, it didn’t.

Psychoanalysis was not the solution...

Years later, I started with meditation.

An excellent solution because I learned to breathe again, and with each breath, I calmed down, and it seemed to see the light again.

With meditation, I believed I had found the solution to my anxiety, and I was proud to say "I am anxious, but I have it under control."

Meditation has been incredible because it not only allowed me to calm down but also to listen to myself. Yet, listening to oneself requires a bravery I hadn't fully embraced.

Years later, facing a failed marriage, on the eve of a divorce, I went back to therapy. Because the anxiety attacks turned into panic attacks. This time I did four years of Gestalt therapy that helped me overcome anxiety, face the new reality, make decisions, and handle the change with a bit of grace.

I am immensely grateful to my therapist at that time, since in the middle of the storm I couldn't meditate, and the word "calm" had left my vocabulary. Thankfully, I came out of the situation successfully.

Have you tried Gestalt Therapy to manage your anxiety? How did it go?

Later on, I changed my life, changed countries, and embraced new challenges, which brought back old anxieties (or perhaps it never left?) So this time I turned to a wonderful health coach with whom I learned to eat properly, and to have more balance since I didn't allow myself to have fun any more. I was still in a constant "survival mode", and work occupied most of my day.

With Mary Carmen Manzano Estrada , I learned the best tips that allowed me to feel joy in my life again, in all its areas. And thanks to the dietary changes, I also started to have more energy.

I could say with certainty: "I am anxious, but now is truly under control."

Then, why did the anxiety return?

Because the emotion of anxiety is associated with some event that is anchored in the unconscious, which was created at some point in childhood. And we reinforce that anxiety in the very moment we continue to identify ourselves as anxious and when expose ourselves to situations that trigger the emotion once again.

Fundamental triggers of my anxiety—deep-seated beliefs from childhood—persisted and revealed themselves in moments of self-doubt.

My anxiety was rooted in memories from early childhood—situations long past, yet unconsciously resurfacing in my present experiences.

And this time, instead of looking for solutions to "calm down," I sought to listen to it and understand it.

The anxiety told me: "you are not enough", "you are not good enough", "you are not accepted", "you do not fit in", "you do not belong"... And many more messages that I definitely had to clean up if I wanted to achieve new professional and personal goals. Messages that were not true, tough they were patterns of self-doubt anchored such a long time ago. These patterns no longer served me.

Can you relate to this internal dialogue?

"Pause, to move forward"

Emotions, and in this case, anxiety, are not there to sabotage you, but to indicate something very important. "Pause, to move forward," is more than a mantra; it's a necessary step in confronting and controlling anxiety. It's not an insurmountable emotion, but a signal, pointing to deep-seated issues needing attention and resolution.

Once you identify what anxiety is telling you, you can let go of the emotion so that it does not dominate you.

Let me tell you something, anxiety does disappear, as it's just an emotion!

And you have control over it.

Actionable Tips:

1. Stop Self-Labelling: Challenge how you identify with anxiety. If you make the same mistake I did, please stop saying "I am anxious", stop sending that command to your subconscious mind because it continues to believing it and keeps anchoring the emotion and the behaviour.
2. Listen and Understand: According to Joe Dispenza, it is proven that thanks to meditations to reprogram the subconscious, we can dissolve emotions that do not allow us to move forward. Your second actionable tip then is to use tools not just to calm yourself, but to understand and reprogram the messages behind your anxiety. I highly recommend his book: Breaking the habit of being Yourself, if you are committed to move forward and leave anxiety behind.
3. Identify Triggers: Recognize what sparks your anxiety to manage it effectively. Anxiety does not just appear out of nowhere. Something triggers it in a specific context, which is why we can also separate emotions from contexts. If you identify the trigger, you will identify the thought and understand where the emotion settled.
4. Embrace Pauses: Anxiety is one of the most paralysing emotions that exist and affect almost all areas of life! Allow yourself to pause and reflect, acknowledging that doing so is not a step back but a preparation to move forward.

Pause, to move forward...

Are you feeling held back by anxiety? It's not just about the personal toll; it's about how these feelings can freeze your career progress.

?? Join the Conversation: How has anxiety impacted your career? What strategies have helped you overcome it? Share your stories and learn from others in our community. Together, we can break the cycle and move forward with confidence.

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Jessica Rojas Liscano is an International Coach dedicated to professional reinvention and success mindset. With a diverse background spanning multiple countries, Jessica empowers professionals to navigate career transitions, enhance soft skills, and cultivate a life of fulfilment through personalized coaching and strategic insights. Fluent in Spanish, English, and French, she connects with a global audience, offering transformative strategies for those ready to redefine their professional journeys.

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