Freeing the Mind: How Consciousness Can Help You Overcome Anxiety
1. Introduction: Understanding Anxiety
What is anxiety in simple terms?
Anxiety is the gap between your true self and your ego-self. Over time, your brain has been conditioned to believe that you are the identity you've built — the ego-self shaped by thoughts, experiences, fears, and expectations. So when something feels like a potential threat to that ego-identity, your brain activates anxiety as a survival mechanism. It's not protecting you, the conscious being — it's protecting the version of you that you've unconsciously told the brain to believe is “you.”
How does anxiety show up mentally, emotionally, and physically?
Mentally: racing thoughts, worry, overthinking.
Emotionally: unease, irritability, fear, helplessness.
Physically: tight chest, fast heartbeat, tense muscles, shallow breathing.
Why is it important to address anxiety beyond just medication or short-term fixes?
Because medication may manage the symptoms, but it doesn’t address the root cause — which often lies in unconscious patterns, thought loops, and disconnection from the present moment. At Being-Space, we are here to help you explore this deeper understanding.
2. What Is Consciousness?
How would you define consciousness in the context of self-awareness?
Consciousness is the ability to observe — to become the silent witness. True consciousness is about observing three key layers of your experience:
What’s happening around you — your environment, the space, the people, the external world.
What’s happening within you — your thoughts, emotions, and the reactions they create.
What’s happening in your body — physical sensations, energy shifts, posture, tension, and breath.
When you’re in a conscious state, you’re not lost in these experiences — you're watching them unfold without judgment. This is the foundation of true self-awareness.
Interestingly, in many spiritual traditions — in the God philosophy — these three layers are symbolized as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Each represents a part of the human experience and consciousness itself. We’ll explore this connection more deeply in future articles.
Example: How Consciousness Changes Your Experience
Let’s say you had a difficult experience in the past where someone named John accused you of something unfair. Now imagine you're sitting at the park, relaxed, and suddenly you see John walking toward you from a distance.
If you are unconscious, your brain immediately pulls up stored memories tied to the past experience. It perceives John as a threat. Your nervous system reacts — heart races, muscles tense, fear arises. You're reacting as if the past is still happening.
But when you're conscious, you still see John, but with awareness. You notice the past trying to rise up, but you gently remind yourself: “That was then. This is now.” You observe the feeling without being consumed by it. You remain present. The past loses its grip.
Consciousness helps you see the truth — that the present moment is not your memory, and that your mind’s predictions are not reality. That truth becomes your peace.
Why is consciousness the key to inner peace?
Because when you’re conscious, you’re no longer lost in thought or fear. You’re grounded in the now — where anxiety cannot survive.
And this is what Being-Space is here to help you realize — both through our shared content and in person, when you’re ready.
3. The Link Between Consciousness and Anxiety
How does unconscious thinking fuel anxiety?
Unconscious thinking is like a loop — a cycle of fear-based patterns that repeats itself endlessly. It keeps you stuck in imagined futures or haunted by regrets from the past. You may sometimes get a sudden flash — a thought like “I want to be free” — but soon you're pulled back into the loop.
In Buddhist philosophy, this is referred to as Karma — not just action, but the accumulated unconscious time spent cycling through life without awareness. Anxiety is one of its natural outcomes. It’s not random — it’s a signal. A call to wake up.
We’ll explore this connection more deeply in future Being-Space sessions — in person and online. We’re here to walk with you through it.
What role do thoughts and inner narratives play in keeping anxiety alive?
Anxiety feeds on stories like “I’m not safe,” “Something bad will happen,” “I’m not good enough.” These stories, when believed, become our reality.
Can becoming more conscious help break that cycle?
Yes. Consciousness allows you to step back from the noise, recognize the false stories, and stop identifying with them. That’s where healing begins. And that’s where Being-Space begins with you.
4. Techniques to Use Consciousness to Heal Anxiety
What practical ways can someone become more conscious in daily life?
The most powerful way is through understanding the truth.
It’s like the moment in The Matrix — choosing between the red pill and the blue pill. One path keeps you in the system, living in loops. The other path is the path of the observer — stepping out of the loop and simply watching.
When you live unconsciously, the life-force energy within you — known as prana in yoga or chi in Taoist traditions — gets drained by overthinking and emotional reactions. But when you're conscious, that same energy is preserved and redirected into stillness and clarity.
Practices like meditation, yoga, breathing techniques, workouts, and pilates are supportive — but they are not the truth itself. These tools give you glimpses of presence. But deep peace comes from being awake to life as it is.
This is what Being-Space is here to guide you into — the shift from doing practices to being present. If you ever want to share your story or ask a question, you’re welcome to email us. Your journey matters to us — and may even inspire future articles or sessions.
5. A Shift in Identity: You Are Not Your Anxiety
How can people learn to separate their identity from anxious thoughts?
To be honest, it’s not as hard as we think. Many believe eternal happiness is far away — but it’s already within.
The shift begins when you realize: you are not who you think you are.
If your name is Nayomi, you might believe that the world’s idea of “Nayomi” is you. But that’s just an image built from past experiences. That identity is not you — it’s your ego-self.
When you begin to separate from that image, something opens up. You begin to experience the real you — the awareness watching the thoughts, not being them.
Yes, eventually, you’ll need to let go of the ego-self. Some call it “ego death.” It’s not always easy — but you’re not alone.
Being-Space is here to help you through it — gently, with presence. In person and online, we are with you.
What mindset shifts come from embracing conscious awareness?
You stop being a victim of your mind.
You begin witnessing your thoughts with strength and space.
You stop chasing the next moment or regretting the last — life feels aligned.
There’s a quiet strength that rises within you. You're no longer lost — you’re rooted in presence. And that is where your true power lives.
6. Real-Life Application & Practice
How can someone apply this during a moment of anxiety?
It depends on your state — each person carries a different story. That’s why one-to-one sessions matter so much. Awareness is personal. It’s not one-size-fits-all.
But in general, try this:
Pause.
Breathe.
Feel.
Notice your body. Notice your thoughts. Let them pass like clouds in the sky.
Then imagine you’re watching yourself from a distance.
If your name is Nayomi, step back and observe Nayomi’s body and mind. Watch her with love. Ask gently:
Why is she scared? What is she believing right now?
Don’t fight the moment — just observe it. That shift alone changes everything.
You reconnect with the real you — the still, aware presence beneath it all.
At Being-Space, we’ll be sharing many insights on how to meet different forms of anxiety with consciousness. Whatever you're facing — there is a way to meet it. And we are here to walk with you, in presence.
What does a “conscious response” to anxiety look like in real time?
It looks like stillness.
Instead of spiraling, you stay grounded and aware.
You let the emotion move through without attaching to it.
Sometimes, relief comes instantly. Sometimes, it takes time.
Either way — we’ll walk with you through the process.
7. Conclusion: Freedom Through Awareness
What’s the deeper message here?
You are not broken.
Anxiety is not who you are.
It’s a pattern — and patterns dissolve when seen clearly.
We are here to help you see clearly.
Why is this journey worth taking?
Because the reward is peace, clarity, and true freedom.
You stop surviving and start living fully.
A final word of encouragement or invitation?
Come home to your awareness.
You already have everything you need within you — just be still enough to feel it.
Being-Space is here to guide you — through words, presence, and one-to-one connection — gently walking beside you on every step of your inner journey.
This is a space to heal, to awaken, and to remember.
We’re here to help you heal, awaken, and remember who you truly are.
You don’t have to walk this path alone.
Be with us. Feel free to reach out — we’re here for you.
By Umesh Anuruddha, founder of Being-Space
