The New Anxiety

Anxiety, or anxious, comes from the root word angor or ango, meaning to constrict, to make narrow, tightness, to squeeze, a distress, to choke. From these root words, anxiety also means uneasiness of mind, a restless dread of a future evil or event.

When I meet with new clients, I explain to them early on in our process that anxiety happens when your core beliefs do not match your behaviors. You can also say your behaviors do not match your core beliefs. Your head, heart, and behaviors are out of alignment. You have the option of changing your core beliefs to match the new behavior, or you change your behaviors to align with your core beliefs.

Once you are back into alignment, your anxiety will generally go away. However, if you do not bring the two into alignment, you will eventually suffer from depression the longer the anxiety goes untreated.

This is what I want to call the old or traditional anxiety. Now, the new anxiety is still the same as far as the definition. Again, it means uneasiness of mind, a restless dread of a future evil or event. It causes tightness, distress, to squeeze, constrict. Many who have had panic attacks understand the feeling of being squeezed or constricted with an inability to breathe.

Since the plan-demic, I mean the pan-demic (by the way, do your own etymology study on the word “pan” and “demic”), the world has changed. People are now trained and addicted to fear-based news and what the next thing we should be afraid of today. We are told to fear war, disease, killer hornets, the weather, the economy, the left-wing or right-wing political zealots. However, the most devastating fear has been the push to avoid your neighbors, friends, family, strangers, or basically everyone.

Well, now we come to realize we were lied to. This pan-demic, which will go unnamed, does not travel by air. We were all lied to. Come to think of it, it is called gaslighting.

(Read the blog post, Gaslighting…the Real Pandemic)

The only thing that was not mentioned to fear were animals, so what did people do? They went and adopted pets. Kennels, puppy and kitty mills, and dog pounds across the world were for the first time empty.

The new anxiety caused us to be plugged into electronic devices 24/7. The new anxiety was getting our daily dose or reminder of everything we needed to fear that day. The mask “mandates” over your mouth and nose did what? They restricted your ability to breathe, and the psychological, physical, relational, and emotional impact of this is still yet to be seen.

The solution to this new anxiety is simply to shut off the news, social media, the radio, your phone, and get outside and connect with nature, your friends, family, and loved ones. We have been conditioned to “stay informed” all the time on our devices. “Do not miss out!” This is also known as FOMO; Fear Of Missing Out.

The only thing that gives a lie power is fear. Lies are not true; therefore, it is up to you to take back your power and live in your freedom. What is true gives freedom. What is a lie causes constriction, tightness, or squeezes to choke. There is only one animal I can think of that behaves this way, and that is a… snake.

Set yourself free and cut the heads of the snakes in your life.

Resource: etyomonline.com

Cory Schortzman Executive Director

Cory Schortzman is an author, speaker, teacher and licensed mental health professional. Since 2008, he has served as the Executive Director of Transformed Hearts Counseling Center in Colorado Springs, CO. He is the founder of SARA, the Sexual Addiction Recovery Association. Cory is passionate about helping couples and individuals overcome sex addiction. He is also passionate about bringing awareness to the public and supporting the elimination of sex and human trafficking. Cory has been married since 1998 to his beautiful wife, Kerry, and lives in Colorado with their four daughters. He and Kerry have been seen on the CBS Early Show, Inside Edition, and ABC Good Morning America, Fox 21 News, and TLC/Discovery discussing the harm of sex addiction and the joys of recovery. He has also been heard on numerous radio programs.

Cory’s books include: Out of the Darkness, Into the Light the Workbook, Into the Light the Steps, Ashes to Beauty the Steps, 301 Dating Ideas, 301 Conversational Ideas, 301 Ways to Say I Love You, 301 Ways to Love Your Children & 301 Recovery Tools & Tips.