Open Change

When panic rises, the first instinct is to fight it.

That response makes it last longer.

The five things I tell clients when that surge starts have nothing to do with stopping it. They're about knowing what panic is.

It's a spike of adrenaline, not danger. The sharper it comes on, the faster it leaves.

Slow the body down and stay as loose as you can. Your brain watches what the body does. When the body gets quiet, the brain starts to read that as safe.

Have you ever noticed that fighting the panic makes it last longer?

Watch the full anxiety cure playlist in our bio to understand what's going on in those moments.

A lot of people tell me they meditate every morning but still can't shake the anxiety.

What's usually missing is what happens after the morning.

Recovery needs practice in the moments anxiety shows up. On the train. At your desk.

When you get a flash of panic, take a breath and remind yourself it's just adrenaline. Unpleasant, not dangerous. Then let it pass.

Do this consistently, and you start building new neural pathways. Your brain learns it doesn't need to fight the feeling. Over time, allowing becomes your default.

One morning practice is a good foundation. It's not enough on its own.

Do you have a practice for when anxiety hits during the day, or is your focus mainly on mornings?

Watch the full anxiety cure playlist in our bio.

Most people trying to recover from anxiety are making it harder on themselves, without realising it.
Here's what I mean.

The more you chase recovery, the more seriously you treat anxiety. And the more seriously you treat it, the more sensitized you stay. You end up stuck in a loop that keeps feeding itself.

Building on Dr. Claire Weekes's work, what I've found is that the goal can't be recovery itself. The goal is happiness. Stringing together more moments of feeling good. Not fighting. Not checking your symptoms every hour.

Because here's the paradox: the less you care about recovery, the closer you probably are to it.
Once you're genuinely happy, anxiety isn't the focus anymore. And that absence of focus is what recovery looks like.

Have you noticed your anxiety gets worse the harder you try to control it?

Watch the full anxiety cure playlist in our bio to understand why.