As a leader, your path to success often encounters high-pressure situations, tough decisions, hard conversations, and a constant demand for peak performance. It’s no surprise that anxiety can become a frequent companion on this journey. The good news is that anxiety can be managed effectively. Here is a four-step process to help you alleviate anxiety and navigate the challenges of leadership with confidence. Special thanks to Tara Brach, PhD, and Ginny Tackett, LMFT for introducing me to this easy to remember mindfulness process.

R- Recognize: 

The first step in combating anxiety is to become aware of it and accept it as a natural human response to stress. Use your awareness to name the anxiety, note how it feels in your body, and the circumstances that contribute to your anxiety. Leaders in every industry face situations that can trigger anxiety, whether it’s a critical board meeting, a tight project deadline, or challenging personnel issues. The key is to not judge yourself for feeling anxious, and instead understand its sources.

Begin by naming your anxiety and identifying specific triggers. Understanding what causes your anxiety is the first step towards addressing it effectively.

A– Allow: 

Intentionally let it be, take pause, Yes, it is here for now.  This is ok, even if it is unpleasant. Once you have named it, accept it by allowing space for it. In this way you make an important shift from reacting to responding. Furthermore, by acknowledging and accepting the reality of your anxiety you can keep yourself out of a negative emotional spiral that involves having anxiety about your anxiety as well as whatever else was initially causing your anxiety. 

I– Investigate:

Be gentle and curious about the feelings, observe the emotion in the body.  Believe it or not, 90% of anxiety is in the body.   

Reflect on these questions:

• What am I believing right now?  
• How am I experiencing this in my body? 

Then… take a deep breath and touch that place in your body.

N- Nurture: 

Be tender toward this body sensation and inner feelings. Don’t judge or condemn your natural reaction. Instead, allow this part of you to be nurtured and held, feeling a sense of belonging and not being alone. Recall a time of being nurtured by a loved one or by self. By all means, reach out to important people in your life for comfort, identification, companionship, and support. 

After the Rain: Blossoms and flowers appear, pause and notice the shift in your inner self, a shift in identity from fear to a sense of control, the power of pause, where we can respond not react.

The Power of Pause: “Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response.  In our response lies our growth and freedom,” said Viktor E. Frankl.

By remembering R.A.I.N., you can respond to anxiety in the moment and mitigate the emotional and physical damage anxiety can cause. 

Do you know? Anxiety rates and anxiety-related disorders are on the rise around the world. In my next post, we will look at ways to avoid anxiety in the first place.