Three Little-Known Facts About Anxiety

There are many facts about anxiety that we can use to our advantage. Anxiety has become a household word in our society, and for good reason; together, the anxiety disorders are the most common of all mental illnesses. Indeed, in the United States alone, approximately 40 million Americans live with an anxiety disorder at some point in their lives. Anxiety facts are important for these millions of us to know.

Researchers continue to discover new insights into this condition that wreaks havoc on our lives. There are myriad anxiety resources available to us so we can learn about, and ultimately overcome, it. Still, anxiety can be difficult to understand, and there are facts about anxiety that aren't widely known. These little-known anxiety facts are important to know as they can assist in recovery from anxiety.

Three Little-Known Anxiety Facts

Anxiety Fact #1: Anxiety is a Liar

Plain and simple, anxiety is full of hot air. It insidiously works its way into the brain, creating an anxious brain. It whispers—no, it shouts—thoughts at us that aren’t true. When we’re gripped by anxiety, we can’t trust our own anxious thoughts.

Performance anxiety tells us we can’t do it. It’s a liar; we have strengths, knowledge, and skills to draw on that truthfully say we can. Social anxiety tells us that people hate us, judge us, and that we are worthless. That’s a lie; like all humans, we have unique traits to bring to social interactions with people, and we are valuable enough to share them. Panic disorder tells us that we can’t go places or do things without having more panic attacks. When we break free of the lies, we can begin to reduce the frequency and intensity of panic attacks until they’re gone.

Know this little-known fact about anxiety: What it tells you is nothing but a lie. When we start to look for the evidence to prove to ourselves that anxiety is lying to us, we can finally shout, “Liar, liar, pants on fire,” and walk away.

Anxiety Fact #2: You Can Beat Anxiety at Its Own Game

One of the deceits that anxiety throws at us is the “what-if” scenarios. Anxiety, generalized anxiety disorder in particular, makes our mind race with worry and fear. It can nearly paralyze us with these horrible doubts.

A little-known fact about anxiety is that because it’s just bluffing in its attempt to control us, we can beat it at its own game. Turn around those “what-ifs” and use them to pick yourself up rather than letting anxiety knock you to the floor. For example, anxiety’s “What if I fail?” becomes, “What if I succeed?”

Some tips to make this one the most effective: keep the wording positive (rather than “What if I don’t fail?” think, “What if I succeed?”) because words are powerful and what you speak/think/write is what you focus on; also, be specific (what does success look like for you, what will it feel like, how will you know when you achieve the first step?).

Anxiety Fact #3: You Can Kill Anxiety with Kindness

It’s true (unlike anxiety, I don’t lie). This is an anxiety fact that many people don’t know because it doesn’t always come naturally. Of course, anxiety is awful. Of course, we hate it. It can make us miserable and limited and we want to destroy it or sometimes even destroy ourselves if it won’t go away.

Think about the emotions associated with the above words and thoughts. They invoke stress and tension and they close us off from the world around us and even from our true selves. By hating anxiety and focusing on all of the negatives associated with it, we are inadvertently hanging onto it. Again, what we speak/think/write is what we focus on, and what we focus on becomes our reality.

Experiment with the positive. Notice, for example, when you’re cursing anxiety for keeping you at home or perhaps going to work but spending day after day in sheer fear of being judged and condemned as inadequate. Then, switch to kindness—to both anxiety and yourself. You might say, “Anxiety, I know you want me to do well and be liked. Thank you for that. I’m going to do well today, so you don’t have to work so hard.” (Okay, that’s really cheesy, but hopefully it expresses the idea. Tailor it to your own needs and personality.) And be kind to yourself. Remind yourself of your strengths, gifts, and talents, and plan how you will use them each day or even each hour.

Learning Facts About Anxiety Takes Away Its Power and Gives Power Back to You

The more we know, the better we do. That’s part of the human experience. It applies as much to anxiety as it does to everything else.

When we learn these little-known facts about anxiety, we can use them to take back our lives.

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