What hides behind anxiety
Reflection: Anxiety. It’s a word we use often but rarely pause to question.
We say I’m anxious as if it’s the full story. But anxiety isn’t a root. It’s a symptom. A whisper of something deeper underneath.
Sometimes it masks fear. Other times: guilt, pressure, unspoken desire, unmet expectations. Almost always: it holds hands with a lack of trust — in ourselves, in others, in life.
So what if, instead of running from anxiety, we got curious?
Prompt Questions:
What might this anxiety be protecting me from?
What am I afraid will happen?
Where do I feel this in my body?
What would this feeling say if it could speak?
Before we go further, I want to offer a subtle yet powerful shift: instead of saying “I AM ANXIOUS!”
what if we softened it into “THERE’S ANXIETY”? This helps us step back from identification with the feeling, makes us the witness to it rather than becoming it. It allows us to observe the emotion without fusing with it. We are not our feelings - we are the awareness holding them. Let this small change become a doorway to presence.
Tapping Sequence: Releasing the Hidden Fear Beneath Anxiety
Setup (Karate Chop Point):
Even though I feel this anxiety, and I don’t fully know why, I deeply and completely accept myself.
Even though this tension is here, I’m open to the truth behind it — and I’m safe enough to listen.
Even though I feel anxious, I’m curious now… what’s really beneath this?
Tapping Points:
Eyebrow: This anxious feeling
Side of Eye: All this tightness
Under Eye: The fear underneath it
Under Nose: Maybe it's guilt or pressure
Chin: Maybe it's something I haven’t voiced
Collarbone: I honor what’s coming up
Under Arm: My body is speaking to me
Top of Head: I’m listening now
Eyebrow: What if this isn't just anxiety?
Side of Eye: What if it's a sign of something I can meet with love?
Under Eye: I give myself permission to slow down
Under Nose: To feel the root of this
Chin: I soften around the tension
Collarbone: I’m safe enough to feel
Under Arm: Safe enough to stay
Top of Head: Safe enough to let go
Re-check: Take a breath. Ask: Am I still feeling this?
If yes:
Are there good reasons for this fear?
Are they rooted in now, in the past or in the future?
Optional Second Round: Even though part of me is still holding this fear, I honor its protection — and I choose to make space for more trust.
Final tapping round:
I honor this feeling, and I also invite peace.
I don’t have to fix everything to soften.
Maybe I can let a little bit of this go.
Affirmation: "I am safe to listen. I am safe to feel. I trust myself to meet what's real."
Between Heaven and Earth - we are held.