The One Strategy You Need to Beat Anxiety

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Ok so first I want to preface this post by saying that there are many strategies for fighting anxiety and what works for one person might not work for another. If you have anxiety, please see a medical professional. Treatments include, but are not limited to: medication, therapy and self-help strategies. 

Throughout the years, this is one more recent strategy I was taught that I have found so helpful-- more helpful than any other cognitive behavioural strategy I have obtained so far, although I would recommend having therapy and trying different techniques that are given to you. I feel like with mental health, it's a collaboration of all of the different things that allow you to make a bit of progress-- not one thing will likely be super helpful unless you break down other things with a medical professional. 

If you are struggling, please reach out to your doctor, or another doctor or therapist until you find someone who works for you. There are also helplines you can call or message that can be really helpful.

So, on to the most helpful strategy I have found so far!

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With anxiety, you can't beat it by trying to reason with it, using logic or arguing against it-- it will always come back. The same happens with ignoring it. You might be able to distract yourself for a while and that is great, but the anxiety still comes back. Now when you have severe anxiety, it might be harder to use this strategy which is why you should always see a medical professional first, no matter the level of your anxiety. But, what has helped me is to see anxiety as a 'wonky compass'. Yes, that's right, you can laugh. But essentially it means that when you feel anxious, it is just your anxiety trying to throw you off. Your anxiety has been triggered by something that probably isn't a physical threat, your body has just become used to being triggered and it now recognises so many things as a danger, when they are not. 

When you are anxious, it might help to think: ok this is my anxiety. It's a wonky compass trying to throw me off. The worst it can do is make me feel a bit ill but it will pass. 

You then need to accept the anxiety and even say to yourself. Bring it on anxiety, I want this, what is the worst you've got? I know this sounds silly but it really can help! By accepting the anxiety, instead of being in fear of it, or trying to reason with it, your anxiety levels may actually decrease.

Keep it up

Now this isn't easy and it takes a lot of repetition and perseverance. You might need to say these things to yourself many many times in the day, every day. And it might not really work at first, but the more you do it, the more effective it can become. 

If you stop doing it and your anxiety comes back or gets worse, it's helpful to remind yourself of these statements and say them to yourself again. Because the alternative is something that may not help and may even make you feel more anxious. 

Conclusion

At the end of the day, anxiety is something that is very difficult to beat, but it is not impossible. Always speak to a doctor/therapist and find what works for you. This is just one strategy that has been really helpful for me personally. It is something that I need to practise more again but it can be very effective and I would recommend giving it a go (but please speak to a doctor/therapist first as you might need other treatment or techniques, this is just my personal experience!).

Summary

"When you are anxious, it might help to think: ok this is my anxiety. It's a wonky compass trying to throw me off. The worst it can do is make me feel a bit ill but it will pass." "even say to yourself. Bring it on anxiety, I want this, what is the worst you've got?"

--Feel free to come back to this post or write this summary down!

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