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The holiday season is coming. We’re mostly excited — but my clients also tell me their anxiety is roaring louder than ever!
Anxiety is so common in Hong Kong: 60 % of people here reported feeling anxious in the past 12 months. As I’ve shared before on my podcast Thrive On The Go, anxiety is actually an action signal — it warns us of a potential threat so we can prepare.
The problem? It often gets out of control.
It spirals into “what-ifs” about things that don’t exist or multiplies into a thousand worst-case scenarios. In my work with clients, what starts as useful acute anxiety can turn into dysfunctional chronic anxiety when we keep ruminating. It becomes a habit.
When anxiety becomes chronic:
- The nervous system rewires itself to stay on high alert.
- The body stays tense and on guard 24/7.
- Triggers get lower and lower — from “big project deadline” → “someone interrupted my flow” → “traffic jam” → “too many people on the MTR.”
- False alarms go off everywhere. One listener told me crowded places now feel threatening because “more people = more things that can go wrong.”
At this point, telling someone “just relax” is useless.
It’s like you’ve built a 6-lane highway for anxiety — you can’t just switch it off.
The antidote? Build a brand-new road.
Want to learn exactly how?
Listen to the latest episode of Thrive On The Go (Cantonese):
It will show you the way.
Enjoy!