How To Start Healing From Anxiety: A Gentle Guide Rooted in Heart

How To Start Healing

There’s a quiet ache that anxiety leaves in the body—a tightness in the chest, a restlessness in the mind, a deep desire to just feel safe again. In this episode of The Freq Show, Sam and Jaclyn Steele Thurmond explore what it means to truly get to the root of anxiety—and how starting the healing process doesn’t have to be overwhelming, or clinical, or cold. It can be tender. It can be personal. And it can begin right now, exactly where you are.

Because healing isn't a finish line—it’s a series of tiny, human steps back to yourself.

Anxiety And Healing

Most of us weren’t taught how to name the sensations that rise in our bodies when we’re overwhelmed. We weren’t told that anxiety could be a signal, not a flaw. And yet, every time our nervous system flares up, it’s pointing to something that needs attention. Sometimes it’s old emotional pain. Sometimes it’s unspoken fear. Often, it’s the body's way of saying: I don’t feel safe here.

But here’s the good news: healing is possible. The ability to heal isn’t something you have to earn—it’s something you already carry inside you.

In the episode, Sam and Jaclyn remind us that naming the why behind our anxious patterns can be a gentle starting point. That includes recognizing how the nervous system tries to protect us, even when it feels like it’s betraying us. It includes noticing how family patterns, unhealed experiences, or lack of support can all contribute to the noise inside us.

And most importantly, they remind us that healing works best when we stop doing it alone.

A Loving Guide to the Healing Process

Here are some grounded practices shared in the episode—plus newer insights from Sam and Jaclyn’s continued work in emotional healing:

1. Honor the Root, Not Just the Surface

Anxiety isn’t always logical—it’s often a pattern that was wired in when you were doing your best to survive. Instead of trying to “think” your way out, give yourself the kindness of asking, What is this protecting me from? This inner curiosity mirrors the core of cognitive behavioral therapy, but with more softness.

2. Build Daily Routines That Feel Safe

Healing doesn’t require an overhaul. Sometimes it starts with one five-minute practice each day—a guided meditation, a stretch, a cup of tea you actually sit down to drink. These small, loving habits restore the nervous system and remind your body that rest is safe.

3. Tend to the Body's Cues

If you’ve ever felt like anxiety “lives in your body,” you’re right. Naming sensations like tight shoulders, clenched jaw, or racing breath can help regulate the nervous system. This awareness bridges the gap between physical and mental healing—and can become the most compassionate self-check-in.

4. Set Boundaries With Yourself and Others

This isn’t about being rigid—it’s about learning what nurtures you and what drains you. Whether it’s protecting your calendar, limiting screen time, or speaking more honestly with family members, boundaries are how we begin to feel safe in our own lives again.

5. Lean Into Your Support Systems

Healing doesn’t happen in isolation. We all need others to hold space when we forget how to hold it for ourselves. Whether it’s a therapist, close friend, or faith community, support systems are how we remember we’re not alone.

Since Then: New Practices for the Journey

Sam and Jaclyn’s own healing journeys have evolved since recording this episode. Here are a few gentle tools they’ve embraced:

• Somatic check-ins throughout the day—asking, Where does anxiety live in my body right now?

• A “safety plan” list: 3 things to do when panic rises (e.g. put bare feet on the ground, call someone safe, slow breath in for 4, out for 6).

• Practicing mindfulness by watching anxiety instead of attaching to it: “This is just a wave. I don’t need to ride it.”

• Sharing openly with loved ones instead of withdrawing—a step that’s simple but never easy.

These additions remind us that personal growth doesn’t have to be loud. Sometimes the quietest, most unseen shifts are the ones that change everything.

Want More Support?

These related posts can help nurture your process:

• Comfort in Turbulent Times – a tender guide for finding calm when life feels too much

• The Belief Blueprint – for rewriting the internal stories keeping you stuck

• The Frequency of Self-Sabotage – why resistance is so common, and what to do with it

Final Thought

Healing from anxiety isn’t something we chase—it’s something we slowly allow. It’s the steady unraveling of old patterns and the gentle remembering of who we’ve always been beneath the overwhelm.

This conversation from The Freq Show reminds us that our pain doesn’t mean something is wrong with us. It means something inside us is asking to be heard, seen, and honored. Healing often begins when we stop resisting our discomfort and start listening to it instead.

If you’re in a season that feels heavy, anxious, or confusing—know that it makes perfect sense to feel the way you do. The world is fast, and we weren’t built to keep up with everything all the time. You don’t have to hold it all on your own. Let this be your invitation to slow down, soften your expectations, and give yourself a bit more credit for the courage it takes just to keep going.

Maybe your healing comes through daily routines that create stability, or guided meditation that helps quiet the noise. Maybe it’s through cognitive behavioral therapy, opening up to family members, leaning into support systems, or letting silence speak when words feel too hard. However it comes, your healing is valid—and deeply personal.

There’s no perfect timeline, and there’s no one way to do this. Whether you’re navigating emotional pain, redefining your support systems, or learning how to feel safe in your own body again—it all counts. It’s all part of the healing process, and there’s room for every step, every setback, and every small win.

Let this be your starting point—not for fixing yourself, but for learning to tend to yourself with a new kind of care. Let it be a gentle return to the practices, people, and truths that support your personal growth and reflect your ability to heal.

You deserve to live in a way that honors both your humanness and your hope. And in case no one’s told you lately: it’s not just possible—healing works.