Emelia Sam

Millions of people have it. Most are undiagnosed. Its insidious nature disguises the rather obvious symptoms:

• recurrent attacks of deja vu
• undeniable acts of self-sabotage
• an underlying sense of dissatisfaction

Additional symptoms may include: lack of sleep, agitation, stomach upset, unexplained anxiety, headaches, crippling indecision, constant complaining with no effort to remove the irritant, chasing perfection, excessive commitment to the irrelevant, and so on.

What is it? NLA, otherwise known as Next Level Anxiety. Is this a recognized disorder? In my world, yes. It’s a phrase I use to describe the spiritual malaise felt when things have the potential to shift. Now, I’m not talking about catastrophic events which could truly disrupt your world. I’m talking about situations which present some of the best things that could ever happen to you. People think they’re always open to anything that will bring them joy, but that isn’t necessarily the case.

Consider the individual who starts to get suspicious when a relationship is going too well? They may start to act in a way that ultimately pushes away the unsuspecting partner. Or think of the person who refuses a full scholarship believing they are not up to pursuing a path they know they would love. They trade in the possibility of freedom and opportunity for the misery that they already know. These are only a couple of scenarios in which people sabotage themselves. When we see these kinds of behaviors, we ask ourselves, “Why would they do that?”

But the real question is how many times have we done the same thing to ourselves? Are there areas in our lives where we have limited ourselves because deep down inside we’re intimidated by the enormity of the potential shift? Is it possible that we tell ourselves that we’re being practical when in reality we’re just scared of the uncertainty?

Sometimes there are perfectly good reasons for not jumping on an opportunity. Only you know what they are. Sometimes, we’re just scared to experience something different from what we already know. Only you know that, too.

The great thing about this condition is that the the first step to curing it, is simply acknowledging that you have it. Only then can you accept your part in holding yourself back from what you truly want. Then the definitive treatment is action. Do what your spirit is calling you to do despite the jitters you may feel.

Even though it’s sometimes crippling in nature, NLA is actually a good thing. It’s a signal that something needs to change. It’s a message that you have done all you can in your current space. Most of all, it’s a promise of all the incredible things that await you on the other side of it – but only if you see it as such.