- Date posted
- 2y
Changing the way I view my anxiety
Lately I’ve been actively trying to adjust the way I see my anxiety, and the way I respond to it. Some days I get unlucky and it’s just day, sitting in my chest all day, I don’t know the specific reason most of the time, and usually when this happens I get so angry that it won’t go away, I end up spiraling trying to figure out why it’s there, and I end up having more anxiety about how frustrated I am that I’m having anxiety. So, recently I decided to treat my hard anxiety days like I would any lifelong physical illness. For example: I have IBS and days where I have pain most of the day while it is frustrating, I just acknowledge its presence and be gentle with myself in the ways I need to, but for the most part I go about my day, so I’ve started treating my anxiety this way, instead of lingering on why it’s there and why I can’t shake it completely, I just go “oh, I guess todays a flare up, that sucks” and just do what I can that day and allow it to coexist. I think we forget a lot of mental illnesses (if not all) are lifelong in some capacity, and that like physical illnesses they come and go and we have bad days, weeks, months, and than good ones again. I’m not saying physical illnesses are easier to deal with of course, but we tend to be kinder to ourselves about their validity and learn to coexist with them, when mental illnesses are the same. I’m nowhere near perfect at this method yet, but it’s helped tremendously, I’ve started wanting to actually go out and do things even when I don’t feel great, because I’ve decided it can be present but so can I. Just thought I’d share this perspective shift in case it might work for others like it has myself ❤️