Trust Yourself To Be Stronger Than Your Anxiety
We are stronger than anxiety. We are not anxiety's prisoners. It’s true. No matter what our anxiety is doing to us in the moment, and no matter how beaten down we feel, ultimately we have power over our anxiety. You are stronger than your anxiety
I Know That You Are Stronger Than Anxiety
One of the most valuable lessons I had when I was in graduate school for counseling was a simple, yet potent, one: trust people to be strong and to work through their challenges and obstacles. One of the worst things I could do, I learned, was to take power away from people by sending the false message that they were too incapable, too weak, to overcome what plagued them. Counselors can guide, but the ultimate ability to recover lies in the person.
I believe that with my whole being. Sometimes I can be rather dense when it comes to myself, though, so it took some time for that to sink in for myself. I felt as though anxiety had the upper hand and that there wasn't a thing I could do about it.
That is actually a very common feeling for anyone who deals with any type of anxiety. Anxiety tends to take over. However, anxiety is only one part of us. There’s a lot more to us than anxiety, and because of that, we are stronger than it. We just need to learn to trust ourselves, to believe in our ability to get back up when anxiety knocks us down.
Feel Stronger Than Anxiety With Visualization
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APA Reference
Peterson, T.
(2014, June 11). Trust Yourself To Be Stronger Than Your Anxiety, HealthyPlace. Retrieved
on 2024, December 18 from https://www.healthyplace.com/blogs/anxiety-schmanxiety/2014/06/trust-yourself-to-be-stronger-than-your-anxiety
Author: Tanya J. Peterson, MS, NCC, DAIS
Hello Tanya,
I just recently came across this article while researching my daughter's OCD. We are newbies to the experience and I'm trying to learn all I can. But I'm wondering now if her "intrusive thoughts", which are definitely present a LOT during the day, are manifested by low self- image and severe self- doubt. The only "compulsions" are tics and her repeating "no" to herself often, trying to battle the doubtful thought. Is there a difference? She cried a lot today thinking that things would never be any different or better. Both her father and I coach her a lot and we are a very loving family, but we're all trying to be strong while understanding that she has to do the work. So is it OCD or something I'm not familiar with? Thanks! Bernadette
Hi Bernadette,
Being in new territory like this is hard for everyone -- the child/teen, parents, and the rest of the family. You're doing a great thing for all of you by seeking information. It might not seem like it now, but your doing this will make a big difference in the long run. Self-doubt and low self-image play a very big role in OCD, anxiety disorders, and pretty much every disorder that people can have. Low self-image also contributes to stress and problems in people who don't have a mental health diagnosis. Working on this with your daughter will be an important part of her treatment and healing. There is a blog on HealthyPlace called Building Self Esteem (https://www.healthyplace.com/blogs/buildingselfesteem). The articles speak to a wide audience and have many useful tips.
You're also wise in paying attention to your daughter's symptoms. It's okay to seek a second opinion if you think OCD doesn't fit. OCD may or may not be the right diagnosis, so paying attention and seeking another opinion could lead to better treatment regardless of her diagnosis. Know that progress will happen. It's just a frustratingly slow process!
Thank you Tanya.Your words encourage me. I don't really know if I have anxiety? I mean, all doctors say i do and in a quite severe way, but I don't really feel it. My main issue now, for the last couple of years is mainly depression. How are those two linked?
Hi Nikky,
Thanks for commenting! You raise two excellent points. First, anxiety and depression are different, but they frequently occur together. It can do with what's going on with neurotransmitters in the brain, and it can also relate to our thoughts. Anxious thoughts can lead to depression-related thoughts, and vice-versa. So while they're not the same thing, they can occur together and one can irritate the other. The good news about that double-whammy is that as one improves, the other often does, too. That said, not everyone experiences both, and that leads me to your next really good point. You mentioned that your doctors tell you that you have anxiety yet you don't really feel it but instead experience depression. This itself leads me to two things: first, anxiety can be a sneaky thing and underlie other problems without someone really knowing it. When that is the case, it's important to examine and work on that anxiety in order to help the other areas, too. So that might be what your doctors are seeing. However, you know yourself better than anyone else ever could. Of course we should consider what our doctors have to say, but in the end, the only expert in ourselves it, well, ourselves. If you really believe that your main difficulty isn't anxiety but depression, trust yourself in that. It's okay to say to a doctor, "I appreciate your input, but I really feel that I want to focus on my depression." A good doctor will respect you and listen.
Thank you for an uplifting thought. I can only hope I am as strong as you say.
Hello lagprak,
I'm glad you found this uplifting. Even though we've never met, I can say confidently that you are strong. You are human! And with all of our ups and downs and positive traits and faults and triumphs and struggles, we all have in common the fact that we're strong and we can survive--and thrive. I was telling the truth when I said that I haven't always believed that of myself, and there are times when I don't feel strong, but here I am. Here we all are. You really are strong inside. Trust youself!