Hi, Shamash here. I've been asked the question, is anxiety always a bad thing? I can imagine you're going through lots of anxious feelings right now and wondering if it's somehow bad or causing you harm. That's not an easy position to be in. Well, let me reassure you that the feeling of anxiety is certainly not bad for you or a bad thing either. Anxiety is a normal human reaction that everybody experiences.

Whether you're faced with a challenge, such as giving a talk at work, having an important meeting, you're likely to experience anxiety. Anxiety is simply the body's natural stress system triggering, preparing you for danger. Some stress and anxiety is actually good for your body from time to time. It shows you're challenging yourself rather than avoiding difficulties. I experience anxiety too, of course.

When I have an important live class that I need to deliver to an audience, or it's a new topic that I'm teaching, I usually feel anxious in the run-up and also during the talk too. Although I don't enjoy the feeling as such, I remind myself that it is a good thing. I'm feeling the anxiety because I care about doing a good job and that care is what's causing the anxiety. In the past. I've always thought of anxiety is a purely bad experience to be avoided or fixed as soon as I can.

But I don't think that's the best attitude. So feeling anxious from time to time is actually no problem at all. Especially, if you don't let it impact your day-to-day activities. It's a normal experience to have. Anxiety becomes an issue when you feel its intensity never seems to give you a break, or if you keep having attacks of fear, sometimes called anxiety attacks or panic attacks.

Once the anxiety begins to interfere with your everyday activities and relationships, that's when, you know you need to do something about it. You should be able to do whatever you find meaningful in your life, even if you experience anxiety. If you're finding your anxiety is controlling, you, that's a sign to take some action. So the feeling itself isn't bad, but letting that feeling control your life is something that needs addressing. And sometimes you need help with that for sure.

The good news is the approaches that I've shared with you in this app may be enough to help you get back on track and relate to anxiety in a way that makes you feel back in control. You can explore the feeling, learn to step back from the feeling, and make space for the feeling to be there together with whatever you're doing. And if you're still struggling with the anxiety, don't hesitate to seek professional help. Good news is that anxiety is actually one of the most treatable, mental health challenges, with many therapists saying that you'll feel much more in control in just five to eight sessions. So hopefully that helped.

Thank you so much for listening into this. I do wish you all the very best as you navigate your way through your anxiety as best you can. And I want to finish with a friendly reminder to be kind with yourself as you go through this current challenge that you have.