Could the way through anxiety be to move with it rather than to avoid it? Could your inner narrative be holding you back more than the situation itself? What if taking one imperfect step was all it took to begin?
In this podcast episode, Jennifer Froemel discusses how to dance through life’s anxious moments with Danielle Ireland.
Meet Danielle Ireland
Danielle Ireland is a licensed clinical social worker, therapist, speaker, author, and host of the Don’t Cut Your Own Bangs podcast. She helps people build healthier relationships, communicate more effectively, and navigate life’s challenges with greater resilience, blending clinical expertise with humor, honesty, and practical tools for lasting growth.
Visit Danielle’s website and connect on Instagram and LinkedIn. Listen to her podcast, Don’t Cut Your Own Bangs.
In This Podcast:
- How actually dancing can help you
- Pulling back and leaning in
- The four questions to ask a narrative in your mind
How actually dancing can help you
Movement can be incredibly beneficial for people recovering from or moving through periods of anxiety, uncertainty, or depression.
Somatically, dancing can be a healing practice. It is a physical activity that you can do to help you move emotions through your mind and body, ultimately releasing them.
For Danielle, she went through long periods of uncertainty that movement helped her come through, especially on her therapy journey.
That somatic piece of the dance, I mean you really were trying to move that sensation away [while] leaning into it, and I think that is one of the real things that we find … Recognizing when you’re listening to that inner voice and feeling the feelings … You pirouetted being a therapist!
Jennifer Froemel
Pulling back and leaning in
Procrastination is common when you’re going through uncertain moments in life, and especially around when you are getting ready to try a new goal. Danielle experienced this when she was preparing to launch her podcast.
I knew what it would take to make it look the way I wanted it to, but I also knew there was such a gap in my own knowledge and understanding of how to execute that I made the possibility seem overwhelming, and so I just didn’t want to touch it.
Danielle Ireland
With time and grace, Danielle came to realize that it is entirely possible to reach the achievement she envisioned for herself, and that it would have to come from her earliest and most basic attempts to start the process.
The beginning is connected to the end, in the simplest way possible, and in order for you to reach where you see yourself standing, you must start somewhere and keep going.
Permit yourself to be amateurish on your path to becoming a master.
It took me … Taking that perfectionist-in-recovery [approach] … I had to really take that feeling on a walk. I would literally take myself on a walk … and I would coach myself down from avoiding it.
Danielle Irelan
The four questions to ask a narrative in your mind
1 – Is this story true? (Yes or no)
2 – Can you absolutely know that it’s true?
Would you bet a million dollars on the truth of that statement? Would you, a million dollars in your hand: if there’s anything truer, you don’t get the million dollars.
Danielle Ireland
3 – How do I show up and behave? What happens when I believe that thought is true?
4 – Who would I be in that same reality of that thought?
RESOURCES MENTIONED AND USEFUL LINKS
BOOK | Danielle Ireland – Wrestling a Walrus: A Book for Little People with Big Feelings
BOOK | Danielle Ireland – Treasured: A Journal for Unearthing You
BOOK | Gary Zukav – The Seat of the Soul
BOOK | Martha Beck – The Way of Integrity: Finding the Path to Your True Self
Visit Danielle’s website and connect on Instagram and LinkedIn. Listen to her podcast, Don’t Cut Your Own Bangs.
Donate to Jennifer Froemel’s Lifesaving Work in Nepal
Practice of the Practice Network
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CONNECT WITH ME
Visit The Innovative Counselling Partners Practice Website and connect on Facebook.
ABOUT THE FEAR OF CHANGE PODCAST
Change can be scary, but it doesn’t have to be. The Fear of Change podcast is all about helping you embrace change and live a more fulfilling life. Hosted by Jennifer Froemel, LCPC, a therapist with nearly 30 years of experience, we cover topics like mental wellness, holistic health, and improving relationships.
Jennifer’s down-to-earth approach makes it easy to understand why we fear change and how to move past those fears. Whether you’re dealing with anxiety, relationship issues, or just feeling stuck, there’s something here for you.
