Is anxiety a superpower? According to author, Wendy Suzuki, it can be. In her book, “Good Anxiety: Harnessing the Power of the Most Misunderstood Emotion,” Wendy notes that anxiety and the stress response that underlies it was evolved to protect us, not disable us.
Wendy says, quote, “It’s an invitation to think in a different way about the ‘negative emotions’ that come with anxiety — fear, worry, anger. Those also evolved for a reason. They teach us about ourselves, our world, what we value in our lives."
“Anxiety needs to have those ‘negative emotions’ associated with it to do its job.”
Its job is to push you in the right direction and take action. To motivate you to make a change and improve your situation. To alert you to something.
Essentially what she's saying is to reframe anxiety you can shift how you deal with it She says every time you get through an anxious situation, it boosts your resilience- one of anxiety's "hidden superpowers."
** Wendy notes this is for everyday anxiety, not the severe kind experienced as part of clinical disorders.