6 anxiety symptoms that are not always alarms, sometimes they are signals of growth - Part 1

Team Gridmoves
Sep 19
8 min read

Updated: Oct 30

Welcome to our 2-part blog series on anxiety.

In this post, we explore 3 types of anxiety that often show up at the beginning of personal growth: 1. It's time to push - Anxiety 2. Unfamiliar territory - Anxiety and 3. New Moves - Anxiety.

Part 2 will take you deeper into 3 more: the kinds of anxiety that appear when momentum builds, pressure increases, and new levels start demanding more from you.

This series is not about diagnosing or fixing; it is about understanding. Not all anxiety is a red flag. Some of it is a green light. The kind that shows up not because something is wrong, but because you are levelling up.

Let’s begin.

What if the anxiety you are feeling is not a sign that you are spiralling, but a sign that you are growing into a different space?

You might think the tension in your chest means something is wrong. But what if it is not a breakdown? What if it is actually a breakthrough trying to land?

Grid Society observations

At Grid Society, we have observed that anxiety often shows up right before something is about to change, or when you know you need to push. It arrives quietly, in moments of progress, just before the next level makes itself known. In our world, we would say it often appears right before you move to your next Grid Location.

Your mind has not fully caught up yet. Your habits are still catching their breath. But your soul already knows that something is shifting. It may not be a massive breakthrough. It could be something small. A shift in mindset. A boundary that needs to be enforced. A decision you can no longer avoid. But it is enough to stretch you, and that stretch creates pressure.

6 types of anxiety you might be feeling

We are naming the types of anxiety that often appear right before you evolve. The ones that show up when your life is levelling up, but your nervous system has not yet adjusted to the upgrade.

These are not random emotions; these anxiety symptoms may seem overwhelming at first, but they often signal that you're entering a new season of growth."

Let us name them using our Grid Location system, so you can stop treating every tight feeling like a warning and start recognising the ones that are actually a green light towards the Orange.

Grid Society Edge location representing fed-up anxiety symptoms before a personal breakthrough

1. IT'S TIME TO PUSH - ANXIETY

You are tired of the same sh and you are desperate for change in this life area. You are standing at your emotional ‘Edge’, fed up, frustrated and fully aware that something has to shift. You know it is time to push and this is the point where the anxiety begins to hit.**

You are no longer comfortable, but you are still in the same place. The routine feels lifeless. The energy is stale. You wake up tired, not because you need more rest, but because your life is not aligned anymore. You are mentally checked out, but physically stuck in the same loop.

This type of anxiety shows up when your soul has already moved on, but your habits have not caught up. You keep talking about the change you need, but every day that you delay it, the ache grows stronger.

There is a version of you that is ready, but your behaviour is still loyal to the version that settled. Your soul already knows something needs to change, but your mind is unsure or still overthinking and your body can feel that you are not in the right place anymore.

⚡LEVEL UP

(a) Pick the move that scares you and make it public. Declare it. (b) Book the thing. (c) Say the words. (d) Go to the place. Your soul already knows what to do. It has been waiting on you to stop circling the decision. Let your action catch up to the clarity you have been carrying in your mind.

This is how you move past the 'Edge'. This is how you move when being fed up is no longer an option.

Grid Society concept: Transition Tunnel location representing stretch anxiety symptoms during early change

2. UNFAMILIAR TERRITORY- ANXIETY

You are stretching yourself by stepping out of your comfort zone and creating new standards for your life. It feels scary, overwhelming and deeply unfamiliar because this is the beginning of your 'I am changing' era. The unfamiliar part is where the anxiety kicks in.

You have stepped forward, but you are still adjusting. You are not used to this version of yourself - the one who speaks clearly, moves deliberately and expects more.

That is why everything feels raw. You keep questioning and second-guessing whether you are doing too much. The truth is, you are finally doing what needed to be done. Your nervous system is just trying to catch up.

This anxiety shows up when you are growing in real time. You are not in danger. You are in development. The discomfort is not a red flag. It is a recalibration.

⚡LEVEL UP

Choose 1 standard you just raised for yourself and repeat that standard exactly as it is, at least 3 times this week. (a) Wear the outfit again. (b) Say the bold thing again. (c) Charge the new price again. (d) Decline the invite again. (e) Wake up at the hour you promised yourself again. (f) Do it before it feels natural. Let your body rehearse the new identity until 'fear' gets bored.

This is how you stretch yourself and transition through the first unfamiliar tunnels of anxiety.

Grid Society Fresh Fields location symbolising early progress and dread anxiety symptoms

3. NEW MOVES - ANXIETY

You are making fresh gridmoves that keep pulling you further and further out of your comfort zone. Each new move feels demanding, as it takes you deeper into unfamiliar fields and your last demanding move has not even settled in your soul yet! This gives you the feeling of 'dread' because you have to keep repeating the process until second nature kicks in.

This anxiety hits you in the middle of the good work. You are finally doing what you said you would, but it still feels uncomfortable. You keep waiting for it to feel natural, but you are still in the early days.

The dread is not the truth. It is just the echo of how things used to go. You are doing something new, but your mind is still wired to expect failure, chaos, or rejection. That does not mean stop. It means your brain has not yet learned that this is a safe place to succeed.

Keep going. The only thing that teaches safety here is repetition. The more you repeat, the less power the dread has.

⚡LEVEL UP

Choose the one move you keep dreading and do it again. Let it feel foreign. Let it feel pointless. Let it feel like nothing is shifting. Do it anyway because something is shifting. This is not about proving anything to the world. This is about making your mind believe that this is who you are now. Do it until your internal system stops flinching.

This is how you stabilise the feeling of dread by repeating your fresh Gridmoves until they no longer feel like a threat.

You are not broken. You are building.

That pressure you feel? It is the tension that shows up when you are getting closer to who you are meant to be. Anxiety is not always a bad thing.

We all experience anxiety, but what we want to reinforce here is that anxiety is not always the bad thing. Anxiety is not always the kind of fear that paralyses or signals danger. Sometimes, anxiety is just friction between who you have been and who you are becoming. And who you are becoming is asking more from you.

In Part 2, we will explore 3 more types of anxiety that appear not at the beginning of change, but right in the middle of momentum. When you are almost there. When the pressure increases. When the spotlight finds you.

See you in Part 2 for more anxiety symptoms.

Bold orange circular icon with the word “GO” in white capital letters, symbolising activation and the call to begin a Grid Society workshop journey.

JOIN OUR WORKSHOP

WE HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU

The only vision workshop that gives you practical tools to rewrite how you see the next 2 years.

Workshop: Go!

CHART YOUR COURSE TO THE ORANGE GRID

You do not need to have it all figured out. You do not need a perfect plan. The size of your goals does not matter. The only requirement is that you want clarity across the key areas of your life.

Bring all your life areas together under one motivating mission.

Upgrade your visioning skills. Manifest strategically. Stop hoping.

This is where YOUR new chapter begins.

BOOK YOUR SPACE NOW!

ONLINE DUBAI

Promotional image for Grid Society’s Vision Quest workshop showing a silhouette walking through orange smoke. Caption reads: “Chart your Course to the Orange Grid.” Workshop focuses on clarity, purpose, and vision-led living.

Workshop: Join 6 Reasons

You have lots of ideas but no clear way to organise them, and the overwhelm is real.
You keep setting goals, but nothing is helping you stick to them long term.
You have never sat down and built a proper life vision that fits who you are now.
You are not stuck. You are just ready to reset and step into your next level with intention.
You are busy and purposeful, but you want more clarity on why it all matters, and a better sense of balance across your life.
You are high-performing on the outside, but your inner clarity needs to catch up.

About - Vision Quest

This is where the blur ends 🍊

This workshop bids goodbye to fuzzy thinking, hazy plans, and denying the desires of your heart. It is time to move forward with a clear picture in your mind at all times. Vision starts to work when you get clear.

Make your inner world make sense 🍊

In this workshop, you will bring everything together. Your goals, your secret dreams, your plans, your ambitions, the scattered notes on your phone, the half-finished ideas sitting in your head, even that quiet feeling that you are drifting. Nothing is wasted. You will take all of it and shape it into one golden mission for your life. This is Vision Quest.

No more life areas pulling you apart 🍊

You will bring all the key areas of your life into one place so they are no longer fighting each other, confusing you, or pulling you in opposite directions. This is where everything begins to work together. Vision Quest gives you the structure to build what you’ve been thinking about, quietly dreaming of, or already working towards. You will walk away with a structure that makes your next steps obvious. You will know exactly what to do next and exactly where you are.

Your Grid Society workbook 🍊

Before you attend the workshop, you will receive a clear visual workbook that includes a monthly review system called the Grid Location Tracker. It helps you track your progress using both emotion and facts.

Your workshop takeaway!🍊

After attending Vision Quest, you will notice your intuition starting to take over. You begin to move with a stronger sense of direction, make better decisions, and notice new opportunities or pathways you had not seen before. It helps you trust what you are feeling and act on it. This process is intuitive, grounded, and personal.

ONLINE DUBAI