Anxiety Is Not A Disorder, And You’re Not An Anxious Person
- Dec 20, 2024
- 5 min read
Siân Marron is trauma-informed Spinal Energetics Practitioner & Intuitive Coach with expertise in mind-body alignment. She helps people reconnect with their body's innate wisdom so they can release unprocessed trauma and emotions from the body.
Anxiety is often labeled as a disorder, but what if it’s not? What if the overwhelming restlessness and fear you feel aren’t who you are but a sign of deeper needs and unresolved emotions? This article challenges conventional beliefs about anxiety, offering a fresh perspective on understanding and healing it.
Bold statements, I know.
However, as someone who battled debilitating anxiety for years and has been on a long journey to understand and heal myself, it couldn’t be more true.
About eight years ago, from the outside, it looked like I had it all together. I was married, had a lovely little home, and a decent, thriving career. But internally, I was barely scraping through my days. Panic attacks were becoming more and more regular, and I felt exhausted, constantly restless, unsettled, and convinced that something bad was about to happen at any moment. Oh, the thought spirals I found myself in. Am I the only one who has emotionally prepared for the tragic funeral of their partner, who “died” in a road accident on the way home from work because he didn’t answer the phone twice? Yikes.
I had everything I told myself I always wanted, but I still felt fucking terrible. On top of that, I was battling an autoimmune condition I was told I would have “for life” (spoiler: I healed it), which added a cheeky layer of health anxiety to the mix. I basically wanted to climb out of my mind (and body) a lot of the time. I was so confused; it made no sense. Life was the best it had ever been. Sure, work was stressful and life had its curveballs, but it’d been so much worse. I should be fine.
On two occasions over a few years, I plucked up the courage to speak to a doctor about how I was feeling. Both times, I was thrown some pills and sent on my way with next to zero exploration into what was going on in my life or what I had experienced in the past. I was told I had an anxiety disorder. My translation: I was broken. And a lot of clients I work with now have been in the same boat.
My first glimmer of hope came unexpectedly after my gorgeous friend Lucy booked me an energy healing session. I didn’t really know what it was at the time, but after that session, I remember walking to my car and thinking that I felt peaceful for the first time in a really long time. Nothing dramatic happened, but it was enough to spark a hopeful little thought: Maybe this isn’t it. Maybe there’s more.
That quiet moment of peace created the space for a little feeling of possibility to creep in. It gave me the capacity to start exploring what else was out there. What I’ve learned since through years of healing, experimenting, and discovering tools that changed everything is this:
Anxiety is not a disorder. It’s information very helpful information that our body doesn’t feel safe. It’s our body asking for help.
If anxiety isn’t a disorder, then what is it?
For a long time, I bought into the idea that anxiety was just who I was. I was an “anxious person” wired that way, end of story. But here’s what I know now:
Anxiety is not a personality trait, and it’s certainly not a defect. It is essential information from your nervous system indicating that your body is in a sympathetic stress response.
Let’s break that down.
Understanding the stress response
Your body’s primary job is to keep you safe. It’s constantly scanning your environment for signs of danger, both real and perceived. When it detects a lack of safety, your sympathetic nervous system kicks in. This is your fight-or-flight response, designed to help you survive immediate threats.
In this state, your body releases stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol, which:
Increase your heart rate and breathing (hello, palpitations)
Tighten your muscles (hello, painful knots and tension in your body)
Heighten your alertness (hello, being jumpy at the smallest thing)
Prepare you to fight or flee (hello, always restless and unable to settle)
This response is vital when you’re in real danger. But here’s the catch: your body doesn’t know the difference between a lion chasing you, an overwhelming email inbox, a childhood trauma, or what I call "hurricane head" (constant overthinking). When we don’t have the capacity, tools, or safety to feel and discharge this energy through movement, expression, or completing the stress cycle, the survival stress stays trapped in the body.
Over time, it builds up, creating chronic tension, dysregulation, and persistent symptoms of anxiety.
So, what you’re experiencing as anxiety is not random. It’s not “just in your head.” It’s your body’s way of saying: “I’m overwhelmed. I need your attention.”
Anxiety is a call to reconnect
Want the good news? When you understand anxiety as a signal, not a disorder, everything changes. Anxiety stops being something you need to fight or suppress and becomes a guide. A guide back to yourself. Back to safety. Back to healing and balance.
By learning to:
Reconnect with your body,
Create safety within yourself,
Feel and process trapped energy,
You can begin to release the survival stress that’s keeping you stuck in fight-or-flight.
This is how you move from surviving (reactive, overwhelmed, anxious) to thriving (calm, resilient, and connected). It’s not about removing anxiety; it’s about understanding it, honoring it, and learning what it needs so your body can return to balance and regulation.
The moment everything changed
For me, the moment everything changed was when I stopped asking, “How do I get rid of this anxiety?” and started asking, “What is my body trying to tell me?”
When I began reconnecting with my body and learning its language, I realized I wasn’t broken at all. My body was doing exactly what it was designed to do: protect me. I just needed to learn how to listen, release, and heal.
And if you’re reading this, I want you to know: everything can change for you, too.
Your healing begins here
Anxiety is not a disorder; it’s a call from your body to reconnect. To release what no longer serves you. To create safety within yourself so you can thrive.
If you’re ready to stop surviving and start living, if you’re ready to understand your anxiety and reconnect with your body, I would love to support you. I use a combination of Spinal Energetics, Fascial Manoeuvres, Somatic Exercises, and Intuitive Coaching to help people build the safety they need to release trapped stress, regulate their nervous system, and come back home to themselves.
Because you are not broken, you are fricken powerful. And more calm, balance, and clarity are absolutely possible for us all.
And the best part?
You are your own healer, and your body already knows the way.
Ready to take the first step? Contact me to learn more about my work and how we can begin your journey to healing together.
Read more from Siân Marron
Siân Marron, Spinal Energetics Practitioner & Coach
Siân Marron is trauma-informed Spinal Energetics Practitioner & Coach with expertise in mind-body alignment. She is an ex-probation officer with extensive experience with emotional health issues, who found energy and somatic work in the throes of burnout and anxiety. When it helped her completely heal from a 'lifelong' autoimmune disease, eliminate the anxiety, and get through a difficult divorce, she knew with every cell in body that she'd found her next calling. Now, nothing lights her up more than helping others heal and live brighter, more vibrant lives.
