the Anxiety of Growing Pains

Anxiety is an unavoidable part of life. We should always acknowledge the anxiety in our lives, but never let it turn into fear. The origin of the word anxiety comes from a root that means narrowness and choking. Our original anxiety is our birth anxiety. We all come into this world through this very uncomfortable process of being born. It is a life and death struggle for both the mother and the child. In childbirth both mother and child have to be fearless. Fear is the resistance against anxiety. When you don't fight anxiety and just go with it, it brings you into birth; when you resist it, you can die in the womb.

Anxiety is a reasonable response to a lot of human experience. It is important to acknowledge and affirm it because to deny our anxiety is really just another form of resistance. Fear occurs when we resist. It ends up taking our bodies and minds in a completely different direction. When we look back at the most difficult times of our lives through which we suffered anxiety, we find we somehow always got through them. We made it; we prevailed against whatever odds, despite our anxiety. And when you look back at the very worst of times you can generally identify a beginning of something completely new in your life. Herein lies the lesson. When we find ourselves in a tight spot, if we just have patience and faith, and just go with the associated anxiety, it can result in a new birth. Trust in life. Always look for opportunities for growth in the worst of circumstances.