by Sheryl Paul
Self. “Thank you. I know. Tell me more.”
There is tremendous healing power in naming the different parts of yourself and allowing them to have a voice. When you dialogue, you’re training your brain to move toward the parts of you that you normally, habitually want to hide away and deny. This is how you learn to gain mastery over your thoughts and feelings instead of letting them control your life and using them as the litmus test for your decision-making process. You make room for all thoughts and feelings, bathing them in the wash of acceptance, and then you connect to something deeper inside you: a space between your thoughts and beneath your feelings; your calm parent; your wise self. The more you unhook from the stories and sit in the seat of Self, the less anxiety will control your life. For countless people, journaling, when practiced daily, is the gateway to inner freedom.
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FURTHER LEARNING
Sheryl’s Online Courses
“Trust Yourself: A 30-Day Program to Help You Overcome Your Fear of Failure, Caring What Others Think, Perfectionism, Difficulty Making Decisions, and Self-Doubt” to deepen your work around learning to trust and love yourself: conscious-transitions.com/trust-yourself-a-30-day-program-to-help-you-overcome-your-fear-of-failure-caring-what-others-think-perfectionism-difficulty-making-decisions-and-self-doubt/.
“Break Free from Relationship Anxiety E-Course” if you’re struggling with relationship anxiety: conscious-transitions.com/break-free-from-relationship-anxiety-e-course/.
“Grace Through Uncertainty: A 30-Day Course to Become More Comfortable with the Fear of Loss by Falling in Love with Life” to become more comfortable with uncertainty: conscious-transitions.com/grace-through-uncertainty-a-30-day-course-to-become-more-comfortable-with-the-fear-of-loss-by-falling-in-love-with-life/.
To see all of my courses, visit conscious-transitions.com/courses.
Books
Aron, Elaine. The Highly Sensitive Person: How to Thrive When the World Overwhelms You. New York: Three Rivers Press, 1999.
Bloom, Linda, and Charlie Bloom. 101 Things I Wish I Knew When I Got Married: Simple Lessons to Make Love Last. Novato, CA: New World Library, 2010.
Bridges, William. The Way of Transition: Embracing Life’s Most Difficult Moments. Cambridge, MA: Perseus Books, 2001. (I loved this one more than the original.)
Bridges, William. Transitions: Making Sense of Life’s Changes, 2nd ed. Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press, 2004.
Cain, Susan. Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking. New York: Random House, 2013.
Dweck, Carol. Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. New York: Random House, 2006.
Hollis, James. The Middle Passage: From Misery to Meaning in Midlife. Toronto: Inner City Books, 1993.
Johnson, Robert. Inner Work: Using Dreams and Active Imagination for Personal Growth. New York: HarperOne, 2009.
Johnson, Robert. We: Understanding the Psychology of Romantic Love. New York: Harper, 2013.
Kerrigan, Kate. Recipes for a Perfect Marriage. London: Macmillan, 2016.
Kidd, Sue Monk. When the Heart Waits: Spiritual Direction for Life’s Sacred Questions. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 2006.
Kornfield, Jack. A Lamp in the Darkness: Illuminating the Path Through Difficult Times. Boulder, CO: Sounds True, 2014.
Lindbergh, Anne Morrow. Gift from the Sea. New York: Pantheon, 1955.
Mooney, Jonathan. The Short Bus: A Journey Beyond Normal. New York: Henry Holt, 2008.
Nepo, Mark. The Book of Awakening: Having the Life You Want by Being Present in the Life You Have. Newburyport, MA: Conari Press, 2011.
Reznick, Charlotte. The Power of Your Child’s Imagination: How to Transform Stress and Anxiety into Joy and Success. New York: Penguin, 2009.
Richo, David. When Love Meets Fear: Becoming Defense-less and Resource-full. New York: Paulist Press, 1997.
Saltz, Gail. The Power of Different: The Link Between Disorder and Genius. New York: Flatiron Books, 2018.
Siegel, Daniel. Mindsight: The New Science of Personal Transformation. New York: Bantam Books, 2011.
Taylor, Jeremy. The Wisdom of Your Dreams: Using Dreams to Tap into Your Unconscious and Transform Your Life. New York: Jeremy P. Tarcher/Penguin, 2009.
Weil, Andrew. Natural Health, Natural Medicine: The Complete Guide to Wellness and Self-Care for Optimum Health. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2004.
Audios
Chödrön, Pema. When Things Fall Apart. New York: Random House Audio, 2017.
Steindl-Rast, David. A Grateful Heart. Boulder, CO: Sounds True, 1992.
Woodman, Marion. Sitting by the Well. Corralitos, CA: Marion Woodman Foundation, 2007.
For more resources, please see “Books That Have Changed My Life” on my website: conscious-transitions.com/books-that-have-changed-my-life/.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Raised in Los Angeles by two psychotherapists, Sheryl Paul grew up with the language and theories of psychology stirring in her soul. From the time she was six years old, she faithfully kept a journal where she recorded her dreams, wrote poetry, and reflected on her daily experiences, including an early awareness that she would one day grow up to help people explore and navigate their inner landscapes.
In 1997, she graduated from Pacifica Graduate Institute, a program that specializes in Jungian depth psychology, with a master’s degree in counseling. She later wrote her first book, The Conscious Bride, which explored the underbelly of the transition of getting married, and her second book, The Conscious Bride’s Wedding Planner. She has appeared several times on The Oprah Winfrey Show, as well as on Good Morning America and other top media shows and publications around the globe. Through her blog, books, and courses, Sheryl has guided thousands of people worldwide through the terrain of anxiety.
Sheryl and her husband live on a creek in Colorado where they raise their two boys. You can learn more about her and her work through her website and blog at conscious-transitions.com.
ABOUT SOUNDS TRUE
Sounds True is a multimedia publisher whose mission is to inspire and support personal transformation and spiritual awakening. Founded in 1985 and located in Boulder, Colorado, we work with many of the leading spiritual teachers, thinkers, healers, and visionary artists of our time. We strive with every title to preserve the essential “living wisdom” of the author or artist. It is our goal to create products that not only provide information to a reader or listener, but that also embody the quality of a wisdom transmission.
For those seeking genuine transformation, Sounds True is your trusted partner. At soundstrue.com you will find a wealth of free resources to support your journey, including exclusive weekly audio interviews, free downloads, interactive learning tools, and other special savings on all our titles.
To learn more, please visit SoundsTrue.com/freegifts or call us toll-free at 800.333.9185.
SOUNDS TRUE
Boulder, CO 80306
© 2019 Sheryl Paul
Sounds True is a trademark of Sounds True, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner without written permission from the author(s) and publisher.
This book is not intended as a substitute for the medical recommendations of physicians, mental health professionals, or other health-care providers. Rather, it is intended to offer information to help the reader cooperate with physicians, mental health professionals, and health-care providers in a mutual quest for optimal well-being. We advise readers to carefully review and understand the ideas presented and to seek the advice of a qualified professional before attempting to use them.
Published 2019
Cover design by Lisa Kerans
Book design by Beth Skelley
The section “Alcohol and Anxiety” (pp. 113–15) was original published in “The No. 1 Change That Could Reduce Anxiety (That Almost No One Tries),” MindBodyGreen, https://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-15748/the-1-change-that-could-reduce-anxiety-that-almost-no-one-tries.html.
Reprinted with permission from MindBodyGreen.
Printed in Canada
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Paul, Sheryl, 1971- author.
Title: The wisdom of anxiety : how worry and intrusive thoughts are gifts to help you heal / Sheryl Paul.
Description: Boulder, CO : Sounds True, Inc., [2019]
Identifiers: LCCN 2018046519 (print) | LCCN 2018055592 (ebook) | ISBN 9781683643364 (ebook) | ISBN 9781683642503 (pbk.)
Subjects: LCSH: Anxiety.
Classification: LCC BF575.A6 (ebook) | LCC BF575.A6 P38 2019 (print) | DDC 152.4/6—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018046519