When Anxiety Creeps In, Try This

A Simple But Powerful Way To Settle Your Nervous System

May 06, 2025

You know the moment: You're moving through your day when, suddenly, you feel it—the shift. The tension. The tightness in your chest. The shallow breath. Anxiety has crept in, almost undetected, but fully taking up space.

I’ve been there. I was there while writing The Ambition Trap. I share the story of standing in my shower, my heart racing, my mind spinning with thoughts like:

“This is your one shot.”

“You better not mess it up.”

“If this fails, what does that say about you?”

Sound familiar? Especially now. These are anxiety-inducing times we’re living through!

Here’s the thing, anxiety is often trying to keep us safe, not sabotage us. But in a culture that glorifies hustle and overachievement, it can become a constant companion, one that convinces us that we must perform in order to belong.

But sometimes the sweaty palms, pounding heart and fear based thoughts are too much. In those moments, I want to offer you my practice.

Part 1:

When you feel the sensation of anxiety creeping in, I invite you to pause and ask yourself:

✨ Where is the anxiety in my body?

✨ What is the sensation—tightness? Buzzing? Numbness?

✨ If this sensation had a voice, what would it say?

✨ How old is this part of me? When did I first feel this way?

✨ What does this part of me really need right now?

Part 2:

When it comes to anxiety, one of my favorite tools for the nervous system is mapping, which I learned from Amy Bonaduce-Gardner:

Nervous System Soothing Exercise:

Start by observing your breath.
Take a few natural breaths and simply notice them. Is your breathing fast or slow? Deep or shallow? No need to change anything—just observe.
Tune into your body.
Think about a situation or emotion that’s been weighing on you. As you bring it to mind, gently scan your body. Do you feel any sensations? Tension? Heat? Numbness? Where do you notice it?
Place your awareness on that area.
If you’re not feeling anything specific, simply choose a spot—like your chest or your belly. Now locate a second point near that area (for example, your heart and your breastbone). In your mind’s eye, bounce your attention gently between those two points for two minutes or more. Let it be soft, like your awareness is gliding back and forth.
Observe the shift.
After a few minutes, notice what has changed. Has your posture shifted? Are your shoulders more relaxed? Has your breath deepened? How does your body feel now compared to when you began?

This is a simple but powerful way to settle your nervous system, return to your body, and create space between you and the activation. It's a reminder that we can hold ourselves through discomfort and create micro-moments of safety, even in uncertainty.

Because ambition is only life-giving when it flows from wholeness, not from our wounds.

And of course, if your anxiety is persistent or overwhelming, please seek support from a licensed medical or mental health professional. Asking for help is one of the most courageous things we can do.

You deserve success and peace. You deserve ambition and rest. You deserve the best of everything.

With warmth and care,

Amina

P.S. If this resonated with you, I’d love for you to share it with someone who might need it today. We heal together.

Resources for an Anxious World:

If you’re craving a deeper understanding of your anxiety, I highly recommend Dr. Ellen Vora’s book The Anatomy of Anxiety. It’s a brilliant, compassionate guide to unpacking what anxiety really is and how to work with it.

Check out my nervous system coach Amy Bonaduce-Gardner. She recently launched a digital platform so you can map anytime and anywhere.

Got career anxiety? My dear friend Claire Wasserman of Ladies Get Paid just launched a new course and it has a bunch of free resources for job seekers. WATCH HERE and REGISTER HERE

Career Forecast

For this month's reading, I pulled Speak Truth, Power, Paradox. Your soul, heart, and body are always trying to communicate with you. What needs to be named and embodied that has yet to be? Where is there an ember of truth trying to light within us that we need to fan the flames of? This, coupled with the power card, is really interesting. We are living in a time where we may feel our power is being stripped away from us. And we have within us more power than we can imagine. This spread is an invitation to dip into that well of power within to speak your biggest truths to the world. When we are ready to tap into our power and speak our truth, sometimes fear comes knocking. This is where the paradox enters. We can be afraid and still be brave. We can be anxious, but still shoot our shot. We can be shaky in our confidence as we do something new, but still give it our all. We can hold two extremes at the same time, and that is a gateway to growth.