The Message of Anxiety
anxiety, healing anxiety, healing, mental health, emotions, the message of anxiety, mindfulness Sophia Giegerich anxiety, healing anxiety, healing, mental health, emotions, the message of anxiety, mindfulness Sophia Giegerich

The Message of Anxiety

Anxiety is not a problem, but a result of suppressing our emotions. It is a build up of unprocessed feelings and unfelt sensations, and shows up when we’ve turned away and become too afraid to feel. It is our body’s way of trying to get us to slow down, tune in, and reconnect with ourselves.

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How to Listen (And Why It’s so Hard)
deep listening, human connection, listening skills, identity and belief, ego and control, black and white thinking, communication Sophia Giegerich deep listening, human connection, listening skills, identity and belief, ego and control, black and white thinking, communication Sophia Giegerich

How to Listen (And Why It’s so Hard)

Listening is one of the most important skills we can have, but no one really teaches us how to do it. In fact, most of us are taught the opposite. We’re taught to analyze, critique, and debate. We’re taught to quickly assess and categorize what we hear: is this something I agree with or not? Is this good or bad? Right or wrong? That kind of black-and-white thinking shapes the way we move through the world, and it makes real listening very hard.

Because once we’re caught in those categories, fear starts to take over. We instinctively pull away from anything that feels “wrong” or uncomfortable. We start listening for what we don’t like, what we disagree with, instead of actually being present with the person in front of us.

And to me, that’s what listening really is: presence. Not proving anything or fixing or judging. Just being there and being willing to take in what someone is saying.

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