Ángel Mena: "Anxiety is a warning from our body"

Excess anxiety is among the most common forms of discomfort in western societies; Fortunately, it is also a problem that can be solved by applying the appropriate strategies. However, it is practically impossible to make money if we do not understand the nature of what makes us anxious; For this reason, we will delve into this topic throughout this interview with the coach and therapist Ángel Mena.

• Related article: "What is anxiety: how to recognize it and what to do"

Interview with Ángel Mena: How does a therapist help in cases of anxiety?

Ángel Mena is a coach, therapist, specialized trainer in the fields of emotional management and personal development, and author of the book series Open your eyes. He points out that his work is applied at three levels: the unconscious level, the level of management of mental processes, and that of practical knowledge in the face of day-to-day challenges. In this interview he tells us about his experience intervening in problems due to poor anxiety regulation.

Do you conceive anxiety as a problem?

In the strictest term, obviously, anxiety produces limitations, but on a real and practical level, anxiety, far from being a disease in most cases, is a warning from our body about how we are processing reality through our thoughts; which is after feeling stress, which in turn is after states of nervousness.

Our body tells us through these unpleasant sensations that our way of using our sensitive mental system and nervous system It's not that it's bad, but it is limiting; It warns us each time with more striking and painful signs to call our attention and to change direction, and since we do not do so, we continue to create suffering for ourselves.

The good thing, therefore, is that, far from being a disease or from doing something wrong to cause it, it is quite the opposite. When we generate states of anxiety, this tells us that we are using our mind in a way highly efficient but unconsciously, and this is the key to generating those states of pain.

So the only thing we have to do from my personal work methodology is to use the mind in the same efficient way but consciously, to generate a state with the same intensity but in a different polarity and thus generate a state of peace quickly, and from there advance to all levels.

To what extent do anxiety problems arise from the avoidance of certain experiences and thoughts?

By definition, all suffering at a deep level comes from a rejection or denial of reality, externally or internally. At the external level of situations in any of the relevant areas and internally by thoughts or feelings that we experience, and that we do not want to have what generates more tension, pain, etc

And when we hold these attitudes of rejection over time, there comes a point where nervousness becomes stress, stress has directly been anxiety and from then on.

Which of the ideas that you have captured in your series of books "Open your eyes" do you capture in your way of tackling anxiety in practice?

Except for the three books on relationships and love, the four guides are focused on mastering our sensitive and nervous mental system. Generating totally liberating states of peace, mental strength and clarity, which I have used for many years to help many people to get out of anxiety, boost their self-esteem and take advantage of the wonderful technology that every human being have.

How can you help a person who is too anxious?

The reality is that there is no person who is too anxious, what does exist is a person who can have a behavior that generates anxiety states, frequently. This happens because his way of seeing reality and mentally processing it generates friction, tension, and pain.

The only thing we have to do with this person is, in my particular and concrete case, to do the work at three levels that include unconscious work, mastery of his sensitive mental system and nervous system, and provide him with practical knowledge on the areas of relevance in which the person in this case generates the discomfort in particular so that we generate rapid changes and changes rapid...

The truth is that it is an extremely exciting process to see how the mind in a moment produces such a different reality.

In your experience, have you seen cases of very successful people professionally who, however, are unable to be happy due to their way of managing anxiety? Are both compatible?

Of course, in fact it happens very often. And this is because in order to be extremely successful at anything, you have to train your mind to set up structures looking to the future, to look for errors in everything in the system. business, to be able to improve it or in your abilities and another series of skills that are excellent for achieving goals, but that are totally contrary to feeling peace, happiness and so on.

At the same time, and summarizing a lot, it has nothing to do with being able to generate value in the market in any way and receiving a lot of economic recognition, to dominate the mind, nervous system, emotional system that are the bases that generate really satisfactory internal states of peace, well-being or happiness. Of course they are 100% compatible, but each area requires specific and concrete work, systematized, progressive and at different levels.

What are the types of life crises that have a greater capacity to trigger unnecessary suffering due to excess anxiety?

Normally, these crises come from the situations to which we tend to give more importance, such as: love breakups, illnesses, loss of purchasing power, as well as the death of relatives dear ones The wonderful thing about this is that it is not really these situations that generate said states of anxiety or pain, but rather it is the way in which the person processes said reality.

Starting from a very specific base and that is totally linked in proportion to the pain that is felt, the person mentally marks as bad or The situation is terrible, which automatically causes, in addition to the pain inherent in the circumstance itself, a dramatic increase in the intensity.

And that is exactly where we can situate ourselves from the force when working on the base mind to go beyond the negative appearances of the situation and find in each event an opportunity that, although painful, includes in itself enormous gifts in the form of learning to be able to be happier, more abundant, healthy and loving.

What do you find most satisfying about the process of understanding anxiety and its ramifications?

In my particular case, I am excited to work with people who come with enormous suffering and states of anxiety, since thanks to the tools that I implement, undergo dramatic changes from the first moment in the form of states of peace, liberation, of welfare. That personally makes me very grateful to be able to participate in this process.