I have struggled with anxiety for as long as I can remember but, I didn’t learn it’s name until I was well into my twenties. I was always labeled the worrier of the group, the one who always played it safe or paranoid. However, it was so much more than that. My fear and sense of dread would get so bad that sometimes I refused to leave the house.

Anxiety is an extreme sense of worry or fear about everyday life situations. It can cause your heart to race, breathing to quicken, excessive sweating and even fatigue. Many people deal with anxiety regularly but, it affects some of us more often and more severely than others.

It is quite common for people with spiritual abilities to suffer from anxiety. You see, spiritual sensitives are constantly absorbing energies. They can be picking up energy from Spirit, from the divine, from the people and places around them and even from objects they encounter. This constant download of information can be overwhelming and exhausting. It becomes very easy to develop anxiety over simple things like leaving your house, being in large crowds, talking on the phone, watching the news, or even being alone. Anxiety can also present itself as worrying about something you said in a conversation a month ago because you are concerned about how it might have made someone feel negatively.

Before someone truly understands their spiritual abilities, they often misinterpret the external energy they are receiving as their own energy. This can lead to feeling fearful and/or overly concerned. However, there is hope for you to find the benefits of your abilities outside of the anxiety. Here are some ways that could help you cope and manage the anxiety that comes with your spiritual abilities.

• Dive deeper into your spiritual awareness. Becoming more aware of how and where the spiritual energy you are receiving is coming from will help you determine what energy truly belongs to you. Create a daily or weekly spiritual practice and educate yourself on your spiritual abilities.
• Set boundaries with Spirit by letting them know when or if you will allow energetic interaction. Give yourself boundaries by knowing your limits and sticking to them. Visualize a barrier like a Protection Bubble to help keep any energies away that are not invited in.
• Meditation, breathwork or prayer are all great practices to help you calm yourself. They can also be used to release unwanted or unneeded energies from your space and send them back to where they belong.
• Grounding is a great way to connect yourself to Mother Earth and God or the Universe. It is a way to help you release any energy that is not beneficial to you back to the Earth where it can be cleansed. Grounding also gives you a sense of connection with something greater, helping with the anxiety that comes with feeling alone.
• There are even crystals that are good to keep on hand, especially when facing an anxiety trigger. Rose Quartz is good for calming your heart. It also expels negative energies and replaces them with love. Labradorite calms a hyperactive mind and blocks negative energies. Amethyst calms your body and mind while also encouraging joy. Black Tourmaline clears negative thoughts and protects against negative energies.
• Some people use essential oils to help with anxiety too. Lavender helps with the emotion center of your brain, reducing feelings of anxiety. Frankincense can be used to provide a sense of peaceful relaxation. Rosemary is said to help with lowering stress hormones in your body. Citrus oils can be uplifting when used.

Although the anxiety isn’t a fun part, having spiritual abilities is a blessing. You have a perception that many don’t. Your experiences allow you the ability to “put yourself in someone else’s shoes”. You become a more compassionate person. You learn to really think about what you are about to say and how it will affect others, before you say it.

Now, I am not a medical professional by any means. I do know that not everyone who has anxiety has spiritual abilities. So please take the time to really reflect on what is causing your anxiety. Once you have a better idea of what is causing it, you will have a better idea of how to address it. Creating a daily practice with some of the examples given above is a great starting point for those who feel their anxiety is spirit based. However, if you feel you need more help, please reach out to a professional who specializes in anxiety. Please know, that what ever your route is for coping with anxiety, you are loved and you are not alone.