BIPOC Anxiety Therapy in Los Angeles: The Anxiety Cycle
You feel fed up and tired. There are days where you wake up and say, “This is the day.” You feel a bit of energy and motivation that has you start to think of wanting to make a change. You tell yourself that this year you want to get out of your comfort zone.. do something for yourself..and face a scary situation (but not too scary). Then you start to feel overwhelmed or anxious, and then the goal(s) feel far away again and unattainable. You think, “this is better.. this is safe;" following the norm is comfortable and it has not stirred you wrong. Yet, hasn’t it? This feeling has stopped you from doing many things.
BIPOC Anxiety Therapy
Have you ever taken a pause when anxiety creeps up ? Reflected on why anxiety keeps on happening ?
If you have not taken a pause or reflected, you are not alone. You have grown up around tradition and know your parents have not had the easiest childhoods or relationships with their own parents. Others that you know that are part of the BIPOC community share those similar concerns as you; detachment from emotions. Your parents have an upbringing where they were taught to move through emotions, ignore them, sweep them under the rug, and their own feelings getting unvalidated. I have observed this working with the BIPOC community and being a first generation Guatemalan American. It is a prevalent issue that can be connected to anxiety and why it is hard to move through it. The anxiety cycle is impacted by intergenerational patterns/rules, societal expectations, and cultural expectations of what is masculine and feminine. It can come from overall negative messages received and what would be criticized or celebrated.
Questions below can be an example of what those questions can look like. I utilize this in therapy with a client and encourage them to utilize it as a journal prompt. It can be a first step into helping you get in touch with your anxiety. You can get into the practice of doing so, and it then becoming part of your daily routine.
Where is the feeling of anxiety coming from?
What is it telling you?
How is it trying to protect you?
Why is it protecting you?
You get in touch with the origin of your anxiety and are guided out of this anxiety cycle through therapy. You get to understand why sitting with your emotions does not happen automatically. You gain insight into understanding your feelings, thoughts connected to them, and overall into your anxiety. I hope this post helps you gain insight into your anxiety and what the anxiety cycle can look like. If you are ready to target the anxiety cycle, you can read more about how I can help here and schedule a free 15 minute phone consultation here.
I wish you good vibes in your healing journey!
Ligia Orellana, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
