Everyone’s anxiety is different. But all of us who suffer from various anxiety disorders struggle to walk upon the thin line between controlling your mind and letting your mind control you. Here are 5 things that I have learned through my own personal struggle with an anxiety disorder:
1. You are bigger than your thoughts.
While your mind controls your body, YOU control your mind. It all goes back to that same source – YOU. You give yourself the anxiety, and it is well within your power to take it away. The mind can be tricky, but you have the tools that you need to sway your thoughts in a positive direction – use them.
2. Your feelings do not define you.
We are NOT our feelings. Feelings are just that – feelings. Like being happy or sad, you get anxious. No matter why or how often, just know that like every other feeling it will pass. Ride it out. There’s always a light at the end of the tunnel, and you know this from experience.
3. What doesn’t kill you makes you awesome.
Life’s all about learning from past experience… So what makes anxiety different? Last time you felt this way and conjured up all the possible scenarios of what terrible thing may happen to you next, it ended up being a huge waste of time wrapping yourself up in meaningless thoughts. What makes this time different? NOTHING… It’s not different. You were okay last time, you will be okay this time, and you will be okay next time.
4. It could always be worse.
While this may seem like the absolute worst thing in the world, I promise you there is someone out there who would pay to trade places with you. Not to say anxiety is not a real and prominent issue, it totally is and it totally sucks, but it could be much worse – remember that.
5. Own your flaws.
This is your life. This is you. You have anxiety. Don’t beat yourself up! Help yourself! You know you are okay, so teach yourself how to FEEL okay. Train your mind. The only reason you do not feel okay is because of your own mind – and you are not your mind it is part of YOU. Turn this around because you can!