The Uninvited Guest

Negative emotions like anxiety can feel overwhelming and disruptive to daily functioning. In high-pressure environments, even senior leaders can find themselves consumed by stress. In one coaching session, a top executive confided, “I feel like I’m about to explode—tight palms, dizziness, palpitations... I can’t sleep, and I know it’s anxiety, but I can’t stop it.”

While mindfulness practices are well-known tools for managing anxiety, another helpful method is to visualize anxiety as a persona—an “uninvited guest.” This technique encourages individuals to externalize the emotion, creating psychological distance.

When anxiety surfaces, speak to it as you would an unwelcome visitor:

• “I see you’ve come again. You’re not welcome here.”

• “Please leave my space. You are not invited.”If the anxiety persists, continue to ignore it. Over time, this disengagement reduces its power, and the “guest” will eventually stay quiet or disappear.

This strategy works because negative emotions gain strength when we focus on them. The more energy we invest in anxiety, the more it grows. By redirecting that energy into building calm and self-awareness, we shift the emotional state and support our overall mental well-being.

Conclusion

Treating anxiety like an uninvited guest empowers us to take control without fighting our feelings. By acknowledging and distancing ourselves from anxiety, we reduce its influence and create space for clarity, calm, and resilience.