From Anxiety to Love

Ever since I began my entrepreneurial journey, I’ve been told by business coaches and consultants, “People pay for speed.”

I’ve watched companies compete for contracts saying, “We can do it faster.”

I’ve observed executives and managers pushing their employees and team members to “get it done NOW.”

And as a mother of two teenagers, I’ve noticed this same obsession showing up in the area of education. I’ve heard countless politicians, analysts, and various experts go on and on about “the race to the top” – where states (and countries) race to get student test scores to the top of the list as quickly as possible.

I’ve even noticed in the medical field, our tendency to over-prescribe medications, looking for that “quick-fix.” No one has the patience anymore for a natural process to work its course. Even pharmacists are speaking out about the influx of prescriptions related to anxiety. Many are saying that it’s not uncommon to see one out of every three prescriptions being filled for an anti-anxiety medication.

As I look at today’s world, I continue to wonder, why are we all in a hurry – and what is the coveted prize if we get there first? And better yet, what could we gain if we took a deep breath and slowed ourselves down, moving from a fear of failure and perfection – and into a feeling of love and inner peace.

These questions are what led me to the work of Corinne Zupko, author of a new book from New World Library, “From Anxiety to Love: A Radical New Approach for Letting Go of Fear and Finding Inner Peace.”

I’ve asked Corrine to join us here today to shed light on the paralyzation of anxiety – and how to bring ourselves back into inner peace by connecting with love.

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What inspired you to write From Anxiety to Love?

I was inspired to write this book because of my own journey into and out of the depths of life-long debilitating anxiety disorders. I was pretty much born anxious, developed panic attacks in college after a fellow student died, constantly worried about my health, and stayed anxious until I started consciously dedicating myself to finding a source of healing within me. As my anxiety issues started to fall away, I knew I had to write about what was helping and healing me. The results of this journey back to peace comprise the pages of From Anxiety to Love.

You say that even though your anxiety journey was one of the most terrifying experiences of your life, it has become your greatest teacher. How so?

Anxiety is painful. There are times when I never thought I would feel normal again. I spent a lot of energy hating my anxiety and I wished it away as hard as I could. However, having this attitude changed nothing. If anything, the strain of hating my present state only created more anxiety. Instead, I became willing to see the anxiety differently. Rather than expending a lot of energy wanting it to not be here, I shifted into accepting that it is here, and that rather than see it as my adversary, I could see it as my teacher. My anxiety showed me that my current thought system was largely based on fear. It empowered me to seek a new thought system, based on love, as taught by A Course in Miracles. Then it motivated me to deeply practice the Course’s teachings. Ultimately, the pain of anxiety catapulted me into experiencing unshakable inner peace as it helped me remember our eternal nature and our True Self.

What is the biggest lesson you have learned through your journey with anxiety?

The biggest lesson I’ve learned from anxiety is that my small sense of self is not who I am. What I truly am (and what we all are) is eternal, innocent, safe, whole, and full of joy. Anxiety has taught me that we are not separate from one another or from Love. And so we are never alone. In this awareness, anxiety cannot exist.

I’ve also learned that the voice of anxiety, or the voice of fear, is just one voice in my mind. And I don’t have to listen to it. I have the power to choose a miracle, and have my awareness of Love restored.

You say that inner peace is not an event; it’s a process. Please explain.

Although there may be individuals who had a spiritual awakening and were healed of anxiety instantly, for the vast majority of us, the process is gradual. We are very accustomed to listening to the voice of fear in our minds. Listening to the voice of Love takes some practice. Inevitably, there may be times that we feel a lack of peace or we experience full blown anxiety again. It is important we not judge these as “setbacks.” Instead, it is essential that we look at this process of awakening like peeling away layers of an onion. Whatever arises in our awareness is like an onion layer and it is coming up to be healed. As we continue this process, our awareness of Love, which is at the center of the onion, comes closer and closer to our awareness, and anxiety falls away.

What role does meditation play in healing from anxiety?

There’s a lot of self-talk we do in working the healing process. However, if we’re always asking for miracles and never get quiet to listen, we’re not necessarily going to receive the shift that is there waiting for us. So getting quiet, even if it just for one minute, can be really beneficial. Also, our lives tend to be fast-paced, which is like constantly being on a hamster wheel of “go go go.” Breaking this momentum to pause instead, can be essential in building a habit of healing.

What do you most hope readers will take away from your book From Anxiety to Love?

My hope is that this book will re-awaken and strengthen the hope, light,and love in the reader’s heart. I hope the reader will be motivated to work these healing principles and learn that our awareness can continue to expand to know the boundless love that exists within all of us. An anxiety-free life is possible. We can awaken from the dream of fear, right now, and anxiety falls away as you begin to remember your True Self. Who you truly are cannot be hurt or sick, and cannot die. We do not walk alone because Love is always with us.

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 Corinne Zupko, EdS, LPC, is the author of From Anxiety to Love. As a licensed counselor and keynote speaker, she has helped thousands of individuals through her one-on-one counseling, weekly meditation classes for corporations, and the largest virtual conference of ACIM in the world, through the organization Miracle Share International, which she cofounded. She lives in New Jersey. Visit her online at: www.FromAnxietytoLove.com