Not Now, Wanda!
Have you ever had a day that was just absolutely bat-sh$# crazy? You cry for no reason, you feel anxious for no reason, your mind is spinning, again… for no reason. Its like you can’t catch a break, let alone your breath. That is how today is going. I can’t seem to settle down and I am doing a banana dance every single minute.
Side bar: While we were in Florida a few years ago on a family vacation, I was pregnant with our second and Matthew was packing our cooler bag for us to go to the beach. I was having a helluva time with morning sickness and so I was eating a banana in the kitchen so I could ease my tummy. While Matthew was packing I was diligently and anxiously tap dancing from one thing to another and doing, what my Mother calls, a “banana dance” because I couldn’t figure out what to do.
Back to today: I was doing a banana dance on my calls and during my work and could not put one foot in front of another. Then I jumped on a call with my intuitive girlfriend and just cried because she was feeling the same way. She mentioned being afraid of doing something and taking a step forward in her business, as this would put her out of her comfort zone. Getting people out of their comfort zones, is MY comfort zone. So I immediately jumped into “coaching” mode and asked her what it would look like to be on the other side of her anxiety. What would it feel like if she completed the thing she was afraid of doing and she just looked at me with a blank stare and blurted out, “Well, I don’t know! Good I guess?”
“Awesome, lets start there!”
We talked about naming this feeling and letting it sit next to us instead of having it take over our entire well-being in a crippling and debilitating manner. Because who hasn’t this happened to? You are sitting there waiting to do this incredible and yet utterly scary thing, and then your mind takes over and spews off things like, “nah girl, we don’t do this! We sit right here where it’s safe, wrapped in a tight blanket, rocking back and forth. We don’t just jump off a cliff without peering over the edge, not knowing what we will fall into, do we?” Then our mind keeps staying there, not taking that next leap! Sound familiar?
As she was saying this, I was feeling the exact same emotions, and I blurted out the suggestion of giving our fear and anxiety a name, therefore making it easier to identify with instead of something that is out of our control. Hello….. Definition of anxiety!
So, I exclaimed with fervor and determination, “Not now, Wanda!” and immediately started laughing. She can have a seat next to me, but hell no am I allowing her to run the show! Apparently, my name for my fear and anxiety is Wanda!
So when you are feeling anxious or something is sitting on your chest, yell out with me, “Not now, Wanda!” and let me know how you feel.
TRY IT!
I swear no one is looking at you!
Altogether, ” Not now, Wanda!”
Now a second time.
Now a third.
How does that feel? Weird, I bet, right? But does it make you feel better? You are telling your anxiety to have a seat at the table, but you are not letting her drive the conversation. You are acknowledging this fear, this thing that may hold you back from doing something great or different. It is scary, but that doesn’t mean you can’t do it!
Next time you wanna jump, or write that post, or create that live video, and fear and anxiety creep into your body… Feel it, acknowledge it, and say to yourself out loud with attitude, “Not now, Wanda!”
Watch what happens next! You will be amazed my friend.