Great article Chris. Your writing is exceptional. Your story of how your internal landscape changed from your trading days to now is really interesting. I wonder how anxiety will shift us into the practices you talk about here - connection, meditation, breathing. I had to start doing these too when I started my first biz. I can't even quit the meditation practice or else the anxiety will eat me alive. I suppose it's super normal. Thanks for voicing it out loud Chris - and by the way, when you host that retreat in New Hampshire, I'm there!
Entrepreneurship, especially solo, and elevated anxiety are a package deal.
It’s obviously the phones, too. Phone in the hand makes shallow breathing and shallow breathing makes anxiety.
A notable update to this story is I took Claritain D, loratadine and Sudafed, and it dropped my anxiety down to zero. So that’s nice. Good to have on hand for pollen season
I’m still focused on the breathing as that’s obviously the long term, sustainable and prophylactic solution. Also running around in the woods feels great for me.
Funny I was just thinking about how unappealing stock trading is to me now, compared to four or five years ago
I was on the "save every penny and put it in an index fund" train several years ago myself and can never go back to that. In our quest to avoid having to worry about money it becomes all we think about
It took me longer than I'd like to realize that investing a lot into other people's businesses and only a little into my own is a mistake I'm not willing to make.
I wish I was close enough to simply sit with you. I’d explain the theory of anxiety I have worked with for 3 decades. And what has helped me.
Sensitive people experience anxiety. People with low serotonin experience anxiety.
I’ll tell you a true statement.. it doesn’t matter how you label it, but it’s how you respond to it.
Anxiety’s origin is from our need to be hyper vigilant when walking outside, looking for lions and panthers. The truth about what triggers it is something you Can figure out. When we first feel the symptoms coming on, we need to ask ourselves is this a “real” threat or a perceived one. A person has about two minutes prior to a full blown panic attack to make this distinction. If it is perceived, and you are safe, then the fastest way to calm the body is slow rhythmic breathing. Breathe in to the count of three, breathe out to the count of three. Feel the breath. You are safe. Remind your body that this is a false alarm, and it can stand down from sounding the alarm. Continue the breathing, and simultaneously use your five senses to get back into the present moment. Sight, sound, taste, touch, smell. With practice, you can master this technique within a week.
There are some people who walk with a constant low level anxiety because they are sensitive to everything around them. It’s not a fault, it’s a super power. You Can calm your body during a false alarm.
Great article Chris. Your writing is exceptional. Your story of how your internal landscape changed from your trading days to now is really interesting. I wonder how anxiety will shift us into the practices you talk about here - connection, meditation, breathing. I had to start doing these too when I started my first biz. I can't even quit the meditation practice or else the anxiety will eat me alive. I suppose it's super normal. Thanks for voicing it out loud Chris - and by the way, when you host that retreat in New Hampshire, I'm there!
Wow. Love this. Yeah, this is great.
Entrepreneurship, especially solo, and elevated anxiety are a package deal.
It’s obviously the phones, too. Phone in the hand makes shallow breathing and shallow breathing makes anxiety.
A notable update to this story is I took Claritain D, loratadine and Sudafed, and it dropped my anxiety down to zero. So that’s nice. Good to have on hand for pollen season
I’m still focused on the breathing as that’s obviously the long term, sustainable and prophylactic solution. Also running around in the woods feels great for me.
Funny I was just thinking about how unappealing stock trading is to me now, compared to four or five years ago
I was on the "save every penny and put it in an index fund" train several years ago myself and can never go back to that. In our quest to avoid having to worry about money it becomes all we think about
It took me longer than I'd like to realize that investing a lot into other people's businesses and only a little into my own is a mistake I'm not willing to make.
I wish I was close enough to simply sit with you. I’d explain the theory of anxiety I have worked with for 3 decades. And what has helped me.
Sensitive people experience anxiety. People with low serotonin experience anxiety.
I’ll tell you a true statement.. it doesn’t matter how you label it, but it’s how you respond to it.
Anxiety’s origin is from our need to be hyper vigilant when walking outside, looking for lions and panthers. The truth about what triggers it is something you Can figure out. When we first feel the symptoms coming on, we need to ask ourselves is this a “real” threat or a perceived one. A person has about two minutes prior to a full blown panic attack to make this distinction. If it is perceived, and you are safe, then the fastest way to calm the body is slow rhythmic breathing. Breathe in to the count of three, breathe out to the count of three. Feel the breath. You are safe. Remind your body that this is a false alarm, and it can stand down from sounding the alarm. Continue the breathing, and simultaneously use your five senses to get back into the present moment. Sight, sound, taste, touch, smell. With practice, you can master this technique within a week.
There are some people who walk with a constant low level anxiety because they are sensitive to everything around them. It’s not a fault, it’s a super power. You Can calm your body during a false alarm.