Anxiety is Your Superpower book review
The catchy title of this blog post is a newly-released book from neurologist Dr Wendy Suzuki. It’s a brilliant, easy-to-read paperback with the full title of ‘Anxiety is Your Superpower: Using Anxiety to Feel Better and to Do Better.’
Yes, there is a science to anxiety - it’s all about how the body responds to stress. Our natural response is to pump our body full of adrenaline, to potentially escape (or fight) a threat. We’re no longer dealing with lions or things our forbearers had to worry about, but our body still reacts in the same way physiologically.
The interesting thing about Dr Suzuki’s research is that it shows how you can use this to your advantage. Using reframing (a popular approach in sports coaching and neurolinguistic programming, NLP) you can learn to ‘worry well’. That adrenaline? It has its uses.
If you’ve ever felt in the grip of unwanted worry or anxiety, then I highly recommend this book. I like how it discusses how stressful situations can be harnessed for ‘good’. Have you every felt anxious before speaking in public (or even a work meeting)? Good. You can reinterpret that nervousness as excitement (as the body responds biologically in a similar way) and see it as a positive. Imagine yourself doing the best speech ever. Use your adrenaline to make it so.
Seeing setbacks as a point for learning is a good skill for life, as we will always experience them. Of course, rest and nutrition are important in dealing with stress. Ironically, the time we need to eat the healthiest is often the time we reach for takeaways. Many of us spend evenings doomscrolling news feeds and social media – designed to create a sense of unease (which is why we keep scrolling). Both exercise and mindfulness are included in the toolkit at the end of the book – both relax the body and mind, but in different ways… and don’t forget to breathe.
Whatever life throws at you, you have the choice of how to respond. Using anxiety as your superpower is a powerful tool, that can help you gain perspective, respond calmly and move on. When life gives you lemons, make lemonade!
Personal Trainer Tracy Griffen utilises many motivational tools to help her clients see success in their goals. The Griffen Fitness studio also has a lending library, where we lend out inspiring and informative books to our clients. Book in for a free consultation…
