Anxiety is not just a thought. It is a body sensation with a label attached.
We may say:
- I feel anxious about coming into my power.
- I feel anxious about office politics.
- I feel anxious about my negativity.
- I feel anxious about eating.
- I feel anxious about stress.
- I feel anxious about my purpose.
- I feel anxious about making good decisions.
- I feel anxious about even addressing anxiety.
Those are real topics. Yet the doorway into relief often starts in the body.
Where is the anxiety?
Chest? Belly? Throat? Neck? Shoulders? Gut? Hands? Breath? Whole system?
When we can locate anxiety as sensation, we have more options. We can tap. We can comfort the younger part. We can ask what needs safety. We can tell the body the blowout is over, the meeting is not happening this second, the decision does not have to be made under panic.
This guide helps with:
- recognizing anxiety as a body experience, not just a mental problem
- tapping on specific anxious topics without needing perfect words
- comforting the part that is afraid to let anxiety go
- noticing when anxiety has become familiar or protective
- working with office politics, decisions, purpose, food, stress, and visibility
- moving from “only one right answer” stress toward body-guided choice
Start With the Sensation
**Before asking why you are anxious, ask where you are anxious.**
Try this:
When I say “I feel anxious about (?),” where do I feel it in my body?
Then listen.
You might notice:
- tightness in the chest
- contraction in the gut
- pressure in the head
- heat in the face
- bracing in the shoulders
- buzzing in the arms or legs
- a throat closing
- a foggy, frozen, or restless feeling
The body sensation gives you something specific to be with.
You do not have to solve your whole life to tap on a tight chest.
Tapping: I Feel Anxious About This
Use this for any specific anxious topic. Fill in the blank with your real words.
Side of the Hand: Even though I feel anxious about (?), and I can feel it in my body, I accept that this is what is happening right now.
Even though part of me wants this anxiety to go away, and part of me is not sure it is safe to let it go, I am willing to comfort my body.
Even though this anxiety has been trying to protect me, maybe we can update the protection now.
Top of the Head: I feel anxious about this
Eyebrow: I feel it in my body
Side of the Eye: This tightness
Under the Eye: This bracing
Under the Nose: This old alarm
Chin: No wonder I feel anxious
Collarbone: Something in me wants safety
Under the Arm: Something in me needs comfort
Top of the Head: I do not have to force it away
Eyebrow: I can listen
Side of the Eye: I can tap
Under the Eye: I can breathe
Under the Nose: I can let my body know
Chin: This is this moment
Collarbone: Not every moment
Under the Arm: Not the whole future
Top of the Head: Maybe I can feel a little safer
Eyebrow: Right here
Side of the Eye: In this body
Under the Eye: With this breath
Under the Nose: With this support
Chin: With this tapping
Collarbone: I am open to a little relief
Under the Arm: I am open to more safety now
Take a breath. Notice the sensation again. Has it shifted, moved, softened, or become more specific?
When Anxiety Feels Like a Friend
Sometimes anxiety is miserable and familiar at the same time.
If anxiety has been with you for a long time, part of you may not know who you would be without it. It can become an unpleasant companion:
- It keeps me alert.
- It helps me scan for danger.
- It gives me something to focus on.
- It helps me avoid deeper feelings.
- It makes me feel like I am doing something.
- It is not fun, but it is familiar.
There is no need to shame that.
We can thank anxiety for trying to help, while also asking it to relax.
Tapping: Afraid to Let Anxiety Go
Use this when part of you wants relief and another part does not fully trust relief.
Side of the Hand: Even though part of me is afraid to let this anxiety go, because it has been with me for so long, I accept that this part has been trying to help.
Even though anxiety is almost like a friend, not a fun friend but a familiar one, I am open to a new kind of support.
Even though I do not know who I would be without this anxiety, maybe I can let it ease a little without losing myself.
Top of the Head: This familiar anxiety
Eyebrow: Almost like a friend
Side of the Eye: Not a fun friend
Under the Eye: But familiar
Under the Nose: It has been trying to protect me
Chin: It has been trying to help me scan
Collarbone: It has been trying to keep me ready
Under the Arm: No wonder it does not want to leave
Top of the Head: Thank you for trying to help
Eyebrow: And maybe we can update this
Side of the Eye: Maybe safety can feel different
Under the Eye: Less braced
Under the Nose: Less painful
Chin: Less exhausting
Collarbone: I do not have to let it all go at once
Under the Arm: I can let it ease a little
Top of the Head: I can have support
Eyebrow: I can have awareness
Side of the Eye: I can have boundaries
Under the Eye: I can have body guidance
Under the Nose: Without all the constant anxiety
Chin: That would be different!
Collarbone: I am open to a little different these days…
Under the Arm: I am open to safer relief
Take a breath. Let the anxious part know it does not have to disappear to be respected.
Office Politics and Old Blowouts
Sometimes anxiety is responding to something that happened before, not just what is happening now.
Office politics can stir the body fast. A sharp email, a tone of voice, a meeting, a conflict between people, or a memory of a blowout can make the nervous system brace for impact.
The body may act as if:
- the blowout is happening now
- everyone is unsafe
- there is no win-win
- speaking honestly will make it worse
- being visible is dangerous
It can help to say: That blowout is over. This moment is now.
This does not mean ignoring real workplace dynamics. It means giving your body the current time and place so you can respond with more choice.
Decisions and the “Only One Right Answer” Pressure
Anxiety often spikes when the mind believes there is one correct answer and everything depends on finding it.
Many of us were trained by school, family, or tests to look for the one right answer.
Life is usually not like that…
Often a decision contains multiple yeses:
- one option meets the need for safety
- another meets the need for growth
- one meets the need for rest
- another meets the need for income
- one meets the need for belonging
- another meets the need for freedom
Instead of asking, “Which one is the only right answer?” try:
- What need does each option meet?
- What need would be unmet with each option?
- Is there a third way? A fourth?
- What does my body say when I imagine each path?
- What support would make either path safer?
- What is the next reversible step?
The Universe, your body, and your support circle may have more options than the anxious mind can see when it is under pressure. Ask.
Coming Into Power and Purpose
Growth can create anxiety because visibility changes the nervous system’s risk map.
Coming into your power may sound like a yes, and still feel scary.
Purpose may sound inspiring, and still bring up pressure.
The body might wonder:
- Will I be judged?
- Will I be attacked?
- Will I disappoint people?
- Will I become too much?
- Will I lose connection?
- Will I have to be perfect?
When power is emotionally connected to feelings of safety, respect, healthy boundaries, and service, the body can often unwind and allow more of it.
You do not have to leap into your fullness all at once. You can practice being a little more visible, a little more honest, a little more supported, a little more aligned.
A Simple Anxiety Practice
When anxiety shows up:
- Name the topic: “I feel anxious about ___.”
- Locate the sensation in the body.
- Rate the intensity from 0 to 10 if that helps.
- Tap one round using the exact words your body gives you.
- Ask, “What is this anxiety trying to protect?”
- Ask, “What would help me feel one percent safer?”
- Choose one next step from a calmer place.
Anxiety does not have to vanish for you to move. Sometimes a small shift is enough to make a kinder, clearer choice.
Session Audio
This guide was adapted from a Thriving Now Circle call with Rick Wilkes and Cathy Vartuli.