Have others (or yourself) labeled you a “worrier?” Are there situations where you find your reactions to situations have become more intense compared to how others seem to react to the same situations? Have these worries caused challenges in relationships or your work? Fear at its core is protective for us. However, left unchecked, this fear can become a significant barrier to our wellbeing. Understanding how to recognize what that fear is trying to tell us and respond to it is critical to developing a sustainable path forward.

How do you respond when things change in unexpected ways? Is your instinct to look for what you can control? Do you find yourself engaging in behaviors that feel like they give you momentary control, though they don’t seem to be working? Our brains are wired to look for certainty in an effort to be efficient. We can work to better recognize what the fears are with life’s uncertainties and work to accept the emotions that arise. Acceptance doesn’t mean you have to like or be okay with the emotion, but gives you more opportunity to cope and heal.

Are fears about sensations in your body causing constant worry? Is this worry making it hard to sleep, exercise, or leave home? Is your first response to a bodily sensation to use WebMD or a local ER? Whether you have experienced a significant health event, or fear the presence of a significant concern, health anxiety can become a daily and ever present drain on our emotions. It can also have a serious impact on the relationships that matter most to us. By learning how to respond with acceptance to our bodies sensations, we can not only calm the intensity of the fears, but also learn to have more appreciation for multitudes of sensory experiences we have every day.

Have you been frustrated or embarrassed by nail biting? Skin picking? Hair pulling? Or how about your relationship with your phone, technology, and social media? Anxiety, shame, guilt or other intense emotions can lead us into behaviors that momentarily provide relief, but lead to challenges long term. By increasing awareness and mindfulness of these behaviors, we can start to recognize steps to challenge and cope with the emotions that arise. This often yields insights about the roots of how these behaviors developed.

Are there situations, places, or people that you find yourself separating from? Have there been opportunities to connect with people or activities that used to bring joy but you avoid them? We can work on recognizing how these patterns got started, how they have grown or changed, and what steps you can start implementing to challenge the fears or critical voices holding you back.