How anxiety got me to become my own hero.

Let’s talk about life, shall we?

It can be quite a mess, am I right?

Do you feel like you're missing out on something? Like there is this little "something more" to your life, but you can't really put your finger on it? Are you putting your best intentions into improving your living situation, your career, your relationships, your health, your body shape?

Only to find out that despite all effort, you move in repeating cycles of the same kind of struggles, year in, year out?

Do you even feel like you're going a tiny bit crazy? A little icky? For wanting something that you can't even name? For trying to justify a desire for "more" when your life doesn't actually look that bad on paper?

Life as it should be

I get you. I've been there. And amongst us, it took me quite some time to even realize that I am fighting an uphill battle. Just a few years back, it was me sitting in an office, lead by perfectly benevolent bosses, in a pleasant working environment with lovely colleagues, yet experiencing one of my first full-blown panic attacks.

Me, who has always been known for being the most patient person. Me, who was being appreciated for staying calm in the most stressful circumstances. Me, who obviously had her stuff together, having a secure job, a stable long-term relationship, a rock-solid friends group, a healthy workout culture and a nice place to live in.

But apparently, all those security measures did not prevent my life from crashing.

Did you ever have one of these moments where you realized that there must be other principles in play, adding to your reality?

That there must be other layers underneath the obvious that are seriously affecting how you are experiencing your day-to-day living? That what you've thought to be reasonable ways to manage your well-being might not be working on the bigger scale?

I certainly did.

Looking back in hindsight, I mark this time of anxiety as one of the most helpful sources of my personal development.

Why?

Because I had no other choice. My system was heating up the fire and put me under pressure to go find the solution. The healing. The fix for the problem. Anything to quickly stop this uncomfortableness within my own body, the fear of losing my sanity over the floppiness of my mind.

Shifting the perspective

So I started digging.

Digging deep and digging long. And I won't lie to you, it was not always gold that I found.

I discovered truths about myself I would have been ashamed of telling anyone. I started seeing patterns in my behaviour that weren't the most heroic. Feeling the core range of human emotion, oftentimes so intense that it was hard to keep my eyes open.

What I found in my search was yoga, behaviour therapy, neuroscience, Traditional Chinese medicine, functional body anatomy, energy work, subconscious principles, inner child healing, just to name a few.

Since 2016 I am collecting tools. Gathering knowledge. Combining my different fields of expertise. Practicing skills.

What I also found out is this simple truth:

You are the only person on earth who can solve your problems.

Read that again.

There is no one coming to save you, and no quick fix for eternal happiness. Life has a way of putting challenges in front of us, of confronting us with more and more variety, but also uncertainties about ourselves. It seems every step you are making forward brings about another riddle.

But there are tools out there, and trust me, you're capable of using them.

Let me tell you how it went for me.

Today, I am a yoga teacher, an architect, a writer, a shiatsu practitioner. A guide, an observer, an explorer. I am an expert, a newbie, a forever student. I am nowhere near perfect. But up and foremost, I am on my way to becoming a happy, authentic human.

I quit my job and left my home country in order to try another setup in self-employment. I kept soaking up information about all possible topics connected to self-work and self-healing. I made it my mission to share whatever I know, have tested and practiced over the years, and be a help to guide others on their own path.

I am not saying that you need to act as dramatically as I did. Different situations ask for different solutions, and each of our journeys is unique.

But I will say that you have a choice to make. You can stay stuck in difficult situations and keep suffering from it, or take up the challenge and be the hero that you’re looking for. You get to save yourself. How cool is that?

So let me tell you just one last thing

Life for sure is complex. Exhausting at times. More than just once leaving you under the impression of being a little flake in the wind, exposed to volatility, unfairness and even pain.

But rest assured that this game has rules. Rules that are simple, timeless and clear.

All it needs for us is to take a decision to learn these rules. And keep learning. It might be a trial and error process, but I promise you, the more you open your eyes to it, the more you get a feeling of how much leverage you actually have in your quest for a happy life.

You got this.