The Relationship Between Anxiety & Authenticity

Let's Talk About It

This month, I wanted to bring light to a topic that I've been navigating amidst building a new career and network in a new city: how my anxiety impacts my ability to show up authentically. I've noticed this relationship pop up in various aspects of life, whether it be productivity and success at work, professional and social interactions, or how we show up for ourselves so I'm hoping it can resonate with you! Let's dive into it.

What Does Your Authentic Self Look Like?

First, I want you to think about what your authentic self looks and feels like; no restraints, comfortable, relaxed, at ease, and free from overthinking. Based on your past experiences, what environments/people/activities have allowed you to be this real version of yourself? Build yourself a picture of what this looks like. Now, I want you to think of a time when you felt you may have felt the need to hide this authentic or honest version of yourself. Who or what caused you to feel this way? What was the environment that put a damper on how relaxed or comfortable you felt?

Bridging the Gap

When a damper is placed on your authenticity, this reflects your “anxious state”. it’s difficult to show up as your honest self when the physiological responses are telling you not to. Anxiety may be the body’s physical reaction to certain environments, and sometimes this environment can simply be changed/ switched, while other times it's unavoidable.

Let's first explore the option of changing your environment to allow for authenticity. My first and main tip: set your personal boundaries. Draw the line when it comes to influences that heighten your anxious state. I'll give a concrete example of what this may look like: at work, I do my best to build relationships with clients who make me feel comfortable being myself. this is my boundary! & the best part is it's a two-way street - people can sense when you are genuine, and this allows for a stronger sense of trust to build rapport. From a personal training perspective, this means that the conversations I have can be more open, allowing for better program specification! This framework applies to many situations; trying to force a relationship with someone who really heightens your anxious state may not be worth it in the long run, because eventually, you’ll have to keep up that appearance which, in itself, feeds back to heighten anxiety more the longer it goes on. the same goes for environmental factors. create your safe space and circle.

At the end of the day, sometimes we can't change or avoid the environment around us, but try your best to focus on what you CAN control or manage.