Facing Fear: The Shift from Compulsion to Choice

What are we running from? Are we running away, or are we running toward something?

For so much of my life, I was driven by fear—running from what I didn’t want, running from what I feared.

Until eventually, there was nowhere left to run.

And I had to face my fears.

When you’re forced to confront them that way, it can be terrifying. It can be overwhelming.

The anxiety can feel unbearable.

But what happens when we choose to lean in, to explore those fears before they corner us?

My nervous system used to be on such overdrive.

I’d wake up and feel the need to get out of the house as fast as possible.

The weekend would come, and I’d be unable to relax—sometimes even checking my work laptop just to have something externally familiar to focus on, to distract from the internal unease.

I was endlessly running on the hamster wheel, chasing distractions from my anxiety.

Now, when that unease or anxiety rises, I’m not forced by it.

I don’t have to follow the compulsion to move, to run, to do.

I can take a breath.

I can give it space.

I can mindfully chart my course.

Through breath, through mindfulness, through daily practices and habits,

through reprogramming our thoughts and soothing our nervous system,

we can learn to find ease even in the midst of anxiety.

We can learn to find ease in how we go about our days.

We can find safety and comfort within our own bodies, within our own soul-body—

freeing ourselves from the endless search for it outside of ourselves.

Only then, with our energy conserved and our minds clear,

can we calmly take steps in alignment with our values and our vision.

Ready to Go Deeper?

If parts of this reflection spoke to you — if you recognize the ways fear or anxiety still hold power in your life — you’re not alone.

This is exactly why I created Asylum from Anxiety, a six-week private coaching journey designed to help you:

• Calm your nervous system,
• Rewire anxious thought loops,
• And build a grounded, resilient foundation for lasting inner peace.

You don’t have to navigate this alone.

If you’re ready to break free from the cycles of fear and step fully into a life of choice, presence, and ease —

Learn more and apply here → Asylum from Anxiety