A lot has been written about the power of Curiosity lately, and with good reason. Curiosity offers the ability to overcome anxiety. The more we lean in with Curiosity, the less fear, and anxiety we experience.

Imagine waking alone in the middle of the night to a sound in the house.  Most of us would lie wide-eyed and trembling under the covers, waiting to hear the sound again.  If we don’t hear it again ten minutes later, we relax.  Now imagine instead of being fearful, we are Curious.  We grab a flashlight or turn on the lights looking for the source of the sound.  A leaking pipe?  Is the house settling?  We have taken some degree of control of the situation by taking action instead of being frozen by fear.

A scientist isn’t fearful as he examines the results of his experiment.  He is Curious.  How do the results support his hypothesis or inform future experimentation?  In the same way, we can be Curious about things that cause our anxiety. First, examine that unexpected emotion that comes up for you in certain situations with Curiosity.  Note how it may feel familiar and when you have experienced it before.  This information can be valuable data to regulate or deactivate your emotion.  Rather than withdrawing from your partner when they react angrily about something, ask them what happened to trigger their reaction and learn more about it.  Again, more valuable data to inform future interactions, perhaps.

Curiosity can offer data that can inform you what to do next.  The more you know and understand how you feel, the better you can regulate your feelings.  The more power that you feel that you have, the less anxiety you will potentially experience.

by Richard Halliburton