WHY AM I ANXIOUS ALL THE TIME?
The Deep Dive Worksheet: Recalibrating UNGA's Alarm System
This worksheet goes with the blog. It has 6 short sections. Each one tells you exactly what to do, and shows you a filled in example first, so you always know what your answer should look like. Take your time. There are no wrong answers here.
1. THIS WEEK IN UNGA MOMENTS
Instructions: Over the next few days, notice moments when your body goes on alert even though nothing is actually wrong. As soon as it happens, come back here and fill in one entry: what was happening, what your body did, whether there was a real threat, and what you did about it.
EXAMPLE ENTRY
What was happening: I was waiting for a text back from my sister.
Body signal: Chest tight, stomach in knots.
Was there a real threat? No, nothing had actually happened yet.
What I did: I checked my phone eleven times in twenty minutes.
ENTRY 1
What was happening: _______________________________________________
Body signal: _______________________________________________
Was there a real threat? _______________________________________________
What I did: _______________________________________________
ENTRY 2
What was happening: _______________________________________________
Body signal: _______________________________________________
Was there a real threat? _______________________________________________
What I did: _______________________________________________
ENTRY 3
What was happening: _______________________________________________
Body signal: _______________________________________________
Was there a real threat? _______________________________________________
What I did: _______________________________________________
2. SENSATION VS. STORY
Instructions: UNGA reacts in the body first, then your mind builds a story to explain it. This exercise splits the two apart, so you can check if the story is actually true. Use one entry from above.
EXAMPLE: Sensation: "My chest is tight, my heart is fast."
Story UNGA is telling: "Something is wrong. This is an emergency."
Is there a real, present threat, right now, in this room?: "No. Nothing is actually happening. My body reacted before I even knew why."
Sensation:
_______________________________________________
Story UNGA is telling:
_______________________________________________
Is there a real, present threat, right now, in this room?
_______________________________________________
3. NAME THE SIGNAL FIRST
Instructions: UNGA doesn't talk in thoughts, she talks in body signals. Before you try to think your way out of it, name exactly what you feel in your body. This one step alone calms the alarm down.
EXAMPLE: This is UNGA, and what I'm feeling is tight and shaky.
Word bank, in case you're stuck: tight, racing, jumpy, shaky, frozen, on edge, restless, heavy.
"This is UNGA, and what I'm feeling is ______________."
_______________________________________________
4. THE COST OF OBEYING OR MUTING
Instructions: When UNGA sounds the alarm, most people do one of two things: they obey it completely, or they push through and mute it. Circle whichever one you do most.
OBEY THE ALARM MUTE IT AND PUSH THROUGH
EXAMPLE: I obey it. Last week, I was sure something was wrong because my chest felt tight before a doctor's appointment. I canceled it. Nothing was actually wrong, I was just scared, and now I still have to reschedule.
What has this move cost you recently? Think about your sleep, your energy, a plan you canceled, or a moment you pushed through instead of resting.
_______________________________________________
If you had paused and checked for a real threat instead, what might have gone differently?
_______________________________________________
5. YOUR 60-SECOND RESET
Instructions: UNGA listens to your body, not your logic. Pick one grounding action from the menu below, try it the next time you feel the alarm go off, and write down what happened.
Menu: cold water on your hands for 30 seconds. Feet flat on the floor, really notice it. Breathe in for 4, hold for 4, out for 6. Name 5 things you can see right now. Say out loud: "The alarm went off. That doesn't mean there's a fire."
EXAMPLE: I tried the cold water one. My shoulders actually dropped a little after about 20 seconds. It didn't fix everything, but it took the edge off enough to think straight.
Which reset did you try?
_______________________________________________
What happened in your body afterward?
_______________________________________________
6. THIS WEEK'S TINY EXPERIMENT
Instructions: Pick one small thing to try, the next time the alarm goes off. Fill in the sentence below before you try it. Then come back afterward and write what actually happened.
EXAMPLE: If I put my feet flat on the floor and name five things I can see, instead of scanning for what might be wrong, I predict I'll feel steadier within a minute.
Result: I did it during a meeting, and my leg actually stopped bouncing by the time I got to the fifth thing.
"If I ______________________ instead of ______________________, I predict I'll feel ______________________."
Result, after you try it:
_______________________________________________
CLOSING LINE
Nothing here proves you're broken. It proves you're carrying an alarm system that's still doing its old job, and now you know how to recalibrate it.
You got this! Nobody is coming to save you… you have to save yourself!
HAPPYISH HUMANS