“I think a lot of us don’t realize that we’re pretty much anxious often.” In this episode, Nick dives into the topic of anxiety and shares a three-step process that has helped him manage his own anxiety. Most people experience anxiety, and some experience it very frequently each day but may not always recognize it. Nick reflects on his own lifelong experience with anxiety and emphasizes the importance of self-awareness in identifying and addressing it. What to listen for: Where you often land on the anxiety scale each day Where anxiety comes from A realization I’ve had about my anxiety and the visual that may be similar to your experience as well The system and process I use to alleviate my stress and anxiety in a nanosecond “The anxiety tends to, at least in my experience, come from past or future thinking. Thinking about things that have happened in the past experiences trying to look for patterns in things. We’re thinking about what could happen.” I’ve found we’re not often actually anxious in the moment, but it’s the thought of past or present in the moment that makes us feel this way We’re all similar in the fact that we have future and past thoughts, but we differ in how we react We can easily get lost in the past or future, and having a process for this can be extremely helpful to set us straight in those moments “I was having a conversation recently about somebody who I love dearly, who has an addiction, and that addiction has been compounded because of the anxiety and the traumas this person experienced throughout life. And they figured out how to cope with it by drowning it and disappearing from that space that they lived in with those traumas. And then it just became part of their life and part of what they do to the point where they don’t actually know what it’s like to be able to process through those things” There are life lessons all around us; sometimes, it’s witnessing a friend, family member, or coworker’s struggles Our addictions come from shame, and our shame can come from many areas, including past traumas that are unresolved Working through our traumas and seeing life for what it really is is a huge starting or refreshing space “in your day-to-day life, as you go through things and you think, I feel anxious right now, or I feel like something’s a little off, right? I just don’t feel right. I encourage you to be able to do the work and really figure out what the root problem of that is and where it comes from. I also encourage you to be able to have a system or process in place, like what I’ve talked about, of being able to just remove yourself from the anxiety and do something” The more work we do on ourselves, the better we know ourselves and heal Doing a process or speaking with a therapist once or twice can be helpful, but true healing can take years, lean into it Becoming self-aware and holding ourselves accountable can be difficult at times, trust of professionals is a great starting point. About Nick McGowan I’m Nick McGowan, entrepreneur, podcaster, and mental health advocate, and I've been on a 20+ year journey of personal development, learning to master my mindset, emotions, and the art of living with purpose. As a Mindset and Self-Mastery Mentor, I work with ambitious men and women who want to live their most authentic and joyous life, by helping them master their mindset, emotional awareness, and authentic communication. My mission is to empower people to lead lives that feel aligned, grounded, and truly their own. Throughout my career, I’ve built teams, streamlined systems, and improved client experiences across SaaS, media, marketing, and personal development spaces. Whether I’m leading cross-functional projects, optimizing SEO, Podcasting, designing strategies, or guiding clients through transformation, I bring a hands-on, solution-focused approach to everything I do. I’m also the host of The Mindset and Self-Mastery Show, where my guests and I unpack the stories that shape us,