MMS - AnxietyAdvantage_FINAL
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Dr. Julia Jingles: [00:00:00] Anxiety is not your flaw. It's your flashlight. It's not here to stop you. It's here to wake you up. You're not broken, you're breaking through.
Hey there. So Warriors. Welcome to another dose of Mindset Medicine where we ditch the fluff and dive into the real. I'm Dr. Julia Jingles, Bolen, physician, author, hypnotherapist, and founder of Personal Awareness Medicine. Around here. I take your anxiety, your perfectionism, and your people pleasing, and I flip that script into personal power and purpose.
And April's theme for me in this podcast is master your mind, master your life. And this is episode number four in this series, the Anxiety Advantage. Why High Achievers Leverage Fear Instead of Fighting It In Today's episode? Ooh, it's a spicy one. If you've ever white knuckled your way through your to-do list while your stomach is doing back flips.
This one's for you. But what if I told you that anxiety isn't your enemy? It might [00:01:00] actually be your untrained superpower and learning to leverage that not fight, it could be a game changer between burnout and breakthrough. Sound wild. Stick with me. You're never gonna look at your nerves the same again.
Let's talk about the real truth about anxiety, and it's not what you think. Let's get real. We've been duped, hoodwinked, straight up bamboozled. When it comes to anxiety, somewhere down the line, somebody in a white coat or a cubicle decided that anxiety meant something was wrong with you, that it was dangerous, that you had to medicate it, meditated away, or marinated in shame.
And while I absolutely believe in seeking help when you're drowning, let's pause for a hot second and tell the truth. Anxiety is not your flaw, it's your flare. It's an internal signal saying something matters. It's your soul shaking you and whispering. You are about to level up, babe. Pay attention. But instead of listening, we clench.
We overthink, we [00:02:00] chew our cuticles and binge watch Netflix like it's a sport. I used to do it too before every gymnastics meet. I was the kid dry heaving in the locker room. Classy. I know. And my teammates thought it was nuts because it happens so predictably all the time. Oftentimes before I nailed a routine.
What I didn't realize back then though, that nerves weren't my enemy. They were a neon sign that I was about to do something that required my presence, my preparation, and my power. Here's the breakthrough moment. Anxiety is just energy waiting for instruction. If you give it a purpose, it becomes your partner.
If you panic. It becomes your prison. High achievers don't avoid anxiety. They harness it. Think about it, surgeons feel it, performers feel it. Public speakers, athletes, TEDx speakers, and even your girl, Dr. Julia, before hitting the record for this podcast, we all feel it. The difference is that we use it as our [00:03:00] compass, not a curse.
So let's see if we can change panic and change it into power and rewrite that signal with a little coaching exercise. Step one, name the anxiety. Think of a moment when your anxiety kicked in hard. Got it. Now ask yourself what was on the other side of that moment? A big decision of honorable conversation, a job interview, a first date.
Well, let's think about that and let's see if we can rewrite the internal message. Next time you feel it coming on, try out one of these. I'm not breaking down. I'm gearing up. This isn't panic, it's preparation. My body is telling me that something important is happening here. Next, give your anxiety a job.
Say, okay, anxiety. I hear you. I see you. Thanks for showing up. You can either help me focus or go sit in the back row because you're not driving today. Humor it if you must personify it. If you must give it a name, [00:04:00] give your anxiety a name like Karen or Bob or Joe, but tell it to chill. Put it in the imaginary swivel chair with snacks and spin it around.
Just don't give it the keys to your brain. Next, fear as fuel. The psychology of peak performers. This is neuroscience, so we're gonna talk about that. The same brain structures that light up during fear. Hello. Amygdala also light up during excitement. Your body doesn't know the difference unless you name it.
So what do high achievers do? They label it differently. Instead of, I'm anxious, they say, I'm activated. My body's ready. I'm about to expand. Do you see the shift? It's not about feeling less, it's about interpreting it differently. What you label as a liability becomes your limit. Now that we've exposed anxiety's PR problem, let's take it a step further.
Here's what most people don't [00:05:00] get. Fear and excitement are neurologically identical twins, same sweaty palms, same heart pounding, same butterflies, doing back flips in your belly. The difference again, is what you call it. That's right. Your label creates your reality. So when you're about to walk into a boardroom, hit send on that bold ass email or say no for the first time in your life without apologizing, your body lights up and you've got a split second choice.
You can either say, I'm freaking out, or you could say I'm fired up. Top performers, the Navy Seals, pro athletes, trauma surgeons, Beyonce, they all feel fear just like we do. They've learned to flip the script. They've trained their thoughts the same way they train their bodies, because guess what? Anxiety is arousal.
Adrenaline is activation, and fear is often just freedom dressed in discomfort. I. So let's upgrade your language to upgrade your life. [00:06:00] Every time you catch yourself saying, I'm anxious, or I'm overwhelmed, stop. Upgrade your words a little bit. Try this. Instead. I'm expanding. I'm stepping up. My body's getting ready to slay it.
This might sound silly, but your brain believes what you tell it repeatedly, so why not tell it something empowering. Let's do a little hypnotherapy now, shall we? I call this the embodiment of edge. We're gonna do some visualization. Visualization helps you transform, scattered, chaotic anxiety into a focus directed energy.
If you practice it, it can be like a laser beam instead of a lightning storm. Simplified. Streamlined, not chaos. And once you do use this, you should use this exercise before you have high stakes conversations, speaking events, test, taking first dates, job interviews, wherever your nervous system is doing the fight or flight, how do you do it?
It's [00:07:00] really actually quite easy. So take a moment. We're gonna now turn your anxiety into something powerful, something grounded in something sacred. If you're capable, sit in a quiet space. If you're able to close your eyes, I. Not if you're driving or operating equipment, and I want you to sit or stand comfortably and let your hands rest gently down with no tension and no pressure allowing your eyes to close.
Just for a few moments, take that deep breath in, just let it pause. Let's do that again. Inhale deeply through your nose and hold for a couple seconds at the top. Exhale gently through your mouth long and slow. Letting your shoulders drop and letting your jaw soften. Let's let the space between your eyebrows smooth out while you're bringing your awareness inward.
[00:08:00] Noticing the flutter, the tension, the buzz of anxiety. Maybe it's in your chest or in your belly or or in your throat. Don't judge it. Don't push it away. Just witness it.
Now begin to imagine this energy is light. S flickering sparks of energy, electricity, moving all around your body, chaotic, scattered, and fast. These sparks are not your enemy, they're your edge. They're your untapped power, your readiness to rise. I. And as you begin, visualize those sparks being drawn inward, gently, patiently coming together in your solar plexus, in your core of your abdomen as a magnet of calm, clarity.
Feel them gathering from your arms, from your legs, from your chest, all converging to the center of your being.[00:09:00]
As the light concentrates, notice it start to glow, becoming brighter, steadier, warmer, and repeat Silently or out loud after me. I am the calm and the chaos. I don't fight energy. I focus it.
I channel my edge into excellence. What I once feared, I now harness. I am ready. I am grounded. I am clear.
Feel your breath deepen. Feel your heart slow. Let your posture rise, confident, present and composed.[00:10:00]
Let yourself linger in this embodied power for just a few more breaths. And when you're ready, bring your awareness back to the room. Wiggle your toes, wiggle your fingers, and slowly, gently open your eyes. You just shifted your anxiety into an aligned energy. You didn't numb it, you didn't fear it, you focused it.
That's your edge, and now you know how to own it. You may wonder why this works. This technique uses principles of subconscious redirection and somatic grounding. Instead of resisting anxiety, which amps it up, you acknowledge it, give it form, and your subconscious sees it as usable energy, not a threat.
Let's be honest, most people don't fear anxiety itself. What they fear is what they think it means. [00:11:00] So let's rewrite their story, or in this case, rewrite the meaning. That they're not ready, that they're not strong enough, that something bad is coming. But here's the thing, I want you to tattoo this to your brain.
Anxiety doesn't mean you're weak. It means you're on the edge of expansion. And if you trace it back, I bet you'll find the pattern. I. So let's do that right now.
If stress and overwhelm or that relentless inner critic had been running the show, it's time to take back control. You don't need another motivational quote or a feel good pep talk. I. You need a system, a tool, something that actually works when life gets messy. That's exactly why I created mindset medicine worksheets.
No fluff, no filler. Just proven strategies that are powerfully designed to help you rewire your thoughts for clarity and confidence, break the cycle of overwhelming minutes. Set boundaries that stick without the guilt and [00:12:00] turn stress into focus and action. This isn't about theory, it's about real transformation.
And the best part, this podcast comes with a worksheet designed specifically for what you're learning today. No more wondering how to apply this. It's all mapped out for you. And if you're ready to stop spinning your wheels and start making real shifts, grab today's worksheet below because life's too short to stay stuck.
Check out the episode specific worksheet for today's podcast below.
Let's take a moment and look at the pattern behind panic. If you can grab a notebook, a napkin covered in coffee stains, whatever you got, grab something to write on. And at the top of the page, write this. The last time I felt anxious, I was on the edge of. Now, finish that sentence. Let the memories roll in.
Maybe it was the night before you left that toxic job, the hour before you said yes to something bold. The moment before you finally said [00:13:00] no to someone draining your soul. For me, it was a very deep process of right before I decided to give up my medical practice. That was some soul changing. I felt the energy moving and I tried not to let anxiety get me because it was excitement that I was changing into something I've been wanting to do for decades.
It's not weakness. That's the womb space that you're becoming something. Something's shifting, and here is the mindset shift. Say this, I feel anxious because I'm growing, not because I'm broken. I feel you. It's scary sometimes, but anxiety is oftentimes just the energy that we're tapping on to something new and exciting.
I. And we don't know how to manage the anxiety energy. So let's do another hypnotherapy technique I call anxiety as your ally. And if you've been again on my podcast, you know, [00:14:00] physical anchors. Physical anchors is a powerful subconscious technique using hypnotherapy and NLP, which is neurolinguistic programming that connects a physical movement like squeezing your fingers to a desired emotional state.
So basically a physical movement to an emotional state. You're creating a shortcut in your nervous system that builds in a reset button that says, you've done this before. You're safe, you're strong. Let's go. So here we go. Let's create your anchor. Now, a simple, subtle move that holds profound power. If you're safe, begin by closing your eyes and placing one hand over your heart.
Let the other hand rest in your lap by your side. Taking a deep breath in and releasing it slowly. Now, bring to mind a time when you felt unstoppable. Maybe it was after a challenge or a moment where you were [00:15:00] terrified, but you showed up anyway. A time where you felt proud, you felt grounded, powerful, and aligned.
Let yourself feel it in your body. Where is the feeling the strongest? Is it warmth in your chest, tingles in your hands? A calm wave behind your eyes? Now while you hold that powerful moment in your body, gently press your thumb and forefinger together. I. And as you hold that squeeze, say to yourself, this is my power.
I've been here before. I turn nerves into focus. I transform fear into fuel. Breathe that in. This is my power. I've been here before. I turn nerves into focus. I transform fear into fuel.
Now, relax your fingers and let's do it [00:16:00] again just to deepen that connection. Squeeze, gently, visualize your most powerful self. Feel the energy of that success, that courage, that moment of boldness, and let it flood your nervous system. This is my anchor, this is my ally. I don't run from anxiety. I run with it and release your fingers.
Let the breath go. From now on, whenever anxiety arrives, you can return to this moment. Place your fingers in the same position, squeeze, breathe. Remember who the hell that you are. You can open your eyes now and come back to the present moment. Why does this work? Anchoring creates a neural pathway, a conditioned connection between physical action and and an emotional state.
You're no longer at the mercy of your triggers. You're installing a tool for intentional response. Think of it like an emotional memory. Just like [00:17:00] athletes have pre-performance rituals, you now have a ritual for resilience. Let me take you behind the scenes of my life for a moment. I wasn't always calm and collected about anxiety.
In fact, anxiety used to own me. I was that kid who tried to be perfect in everything, tried being the key word, good grades, flawless gymnastics routines. I. Smiling while I silently spiraled before every meet, I'd be in the locker room with my head in the trash can, and what they didn't know is that I wasn't just nervous.
I was terrified of failing, terrified of being seen, terrified that if I didn't perform, I wouldn't be loved. Fast forward to medical school. It only got more intense. I struggled with sleeping. I pushed, I performed, I white knuckled through panic attacks with a stethoscope around my neck and a plastic smile on my face.
But here's what no one saw. I wasn't eating normally. I was self-harming. I was hurting while healing everybody else. I, [00:18:00] anxiety wasn't my problem. It was a warning bell that I had lost myself, trying to be everything to everyone, and still anxiety kept showing up. Not as a punishment, but as a portal. It told me, you're not meant to be perfect.
You're meant to be present. Even today as a physician, speaker and author, I still get nervous. I still feel the energy rise before I record, but now I use it. Now I say, thank you, anxiety, I see you. Let's walk through this fire together. And when my husband was diagnosed with cancer, the fear was suffocating.
I wanted to fix it all, his diet, his mindset, his treatment. But I had to stop and breathe and remember his journey isn't mine to control. My anxiety isn't a call to fix him. It's a call to feel and to faithfully witness. That was hard. That was holy. [00:19:00] That was healing. So if you've ever felt like your anxiety was a sign that you were too much or not enough, I'm here to tell you.
It's neither. It's just a signal that you care deeply and that something sacred is trying to come through you. And if you ignore that signal as an opportunity to address something, that something new isn't gonna come through. And just like a toddler, it's going to get louder and louder and louder. And that physical symptom, you're not gonna be able to ignore it anymore, and it won't be good.
So let's not ignore or hide these incredible feelings our bodies give us. Let's properly address them. Allow them to come forth and fuel us in a way that they were meant to as a motivation to change address, or just go out and do it. Let's do one activation, one more final activation, and put anxiety into alignment.
Again. Take a moment, hand on your heart, breathe in, [00:20:00] and let your shoulders drop. Let your stomach relax and say this with me out loud. Don't hold back. Here we go. I honor my anxiety. I see it for what it is. Energy, not enemy. I reclaim my nervous system. I transform fear into focus. I channel chaos into clarity.
I trust my timing. I trust my edge. I am ready. Say it again. If you need to say it like your life depends on it, because the quality of your life really does. This is your new operating system. You don't run from fear anymore. You write it, you rise with it, you lead with it.
If you made it to the end of this episode, I hope you're feeling a [00:21:00] little more powerful, a little more grounded, and a whole lot less afraid of your anxiety. Because now you know the truth. Anxiety is not your flaw. It's your flashlight. It's not here to stop you. It's here to wake you up. You're not broken.
You're breaking through. Thank you for spending time with me. If this episode stirred something in you, don't keep it to yourself. Help me reach my mission a hundred people in a hundred days, and you can be part of that ripple. Share this episode with one friend who needs to hear it. Screenshot it and tag me your story.
Drop a comment or DM me and tell me your biggest takeaway. I. And don't forget to connect with me so we can keep this party going. Until next time, my beautiful souls be happy, be healthy, and be fulfilled.
Thank you for listening to Mindset Medicine with your host, Dr. Julia Bolen. To learn more about mindset medicine, go to [00:22:00] www.juliabolinmd.com and connect with Dr. Julia to find out how our team can help you today. Join us again next week for more expert tips, tools, and strategies to become healthier, wealthier, and wiser in your personal and professional life.
