Containing Anxiety

Under threat we act automatically. Survival is everything. We slide toward the immature side of the continuum. We are impatient. We blame, relieving our own pain by focusing it on others. We use either / or thinking. Stuck in our anxiety, we err on the side of shortsightedness. How can we shift to the other side of the continuum?

1.) Have a plan. (refer back to your core goals, strategies and structures)
2.) Express problems in terms of relationships / triangles. (be aware of emotional processes)
3.) Know and recognize what triggers anxiety in yourself and in your organization.
4.) Deal with anxiety as it surfaces at a conscious, responsive level (rather than merely reactive and instinctual behavior)
5.) Be willing to invest in your core goals, strategy and structures.
6.) Always be on the lookout and mindful of identifying strengths and resources available to you.
7.) Create options and imagine what could be. (infinite range of possibilities between extremes)
8.) Remain on the side of challenge (with the ability to tolerate pain, threat, sabotage)
9.) Follow the plan. (see point one)
10.) Ask questions.

Notes from Peter Steinke