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Five Signs That You Will Beat Anxiety

Even in times of great struggle with anxiety disorders, there are signs that tell you that you’ll beat anxiety. By definition, any anxiety disorder is something whose symptoms cause significant distress, interfere in one or more areas of life (such as work, family, or social functioning), is difficult to control, and endures over time, usually for at least six months but often longer.1 Anxiety in any form, then, can be daunting. But take heart: when you’re feeling thoroughly stuck, look within yourself for these five signs that you will indeed beat anxiety.

Signs say you'll beat anxiety even though it can seem like anxiety won. Want proof? Look for these five signs that you'll beat anxiety. Read this.Anxiety is rooted in the brain (Anxiety: It's in Your Head (Your Brain!)); thus, it affects our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. It sometimes makes us feel hopeless and helpless. When anxiety berates you in an attempt to make you give up, turn your attention away from those anxious thoughts. To be sure, the anxiety will still be there, but you can choose to pay attention to something else. Tune into these five signs that tell you that you’ll beat anxiety.

Five Signs That You Will Beat Anxiety

  • Positive goals -- You know that you don’t want anxiety, and beyond that, you know what you do want. You can envision what your life will be like without anxiety, which gives you something positive on which to focus while anxiety runs in the background.
  • Perseverance -- You haven’t given up yet. You’re seeking out information about anxiety and you’re looking for ways to manage and overcome it. Living with anxiety disorders is exhausting and frustrating, and it is often tempting to just give up. That’s a normal feeling. Despite how you feel, though, you haven’t given up yet. You have the strength to persevere.
  • Purpose -- Similarly to having positive goals, you have a sense of purpose for your life and reasons why you keep going despite sometimes debilitating anxiety. Perhaps you feel that your purpose doesn’t exist anymore because anxiety is blocking your path. However, just because anxiety has you trapped does not mean that your purpose is gone. The ability to envision your purpose is a sign that you will beat anxiety.
  • Passions -- Identifying things that bring enjoyment will help you pursue them. Rather than berating yourself for not being able to do things you’re passionate about, embrace the fact that you do have, or once had, passions. You can gradually take steps to get back to them.
  • Patience -- Patience is a character strength that allows people to endure even great difficulties. Knowing that anxiety disorders are stubbornly persistent but are temporary allows people to patiently persevere while engaging in the process of beating anxiety. You don’t have to love the fact that overcoming anxiety can be a slow process, but having the patience to persevere is a sign that tells you that you’ll beat anxiety.

Put the Five Signs to Work for You to Beat Anxiety

Each and every one of us possesses the strengths of perseverance, purpose, passions, and patience as well as the ability to create and pursue positive goals. When living with an anxiety disorder, it can seem as though the only thing about yourself is anxiety and that your entire existence is dominated by an anxiety disorder. This is far from the truth.

The truth is that you have within you the ability to beat anxiety. Look for the signs. Know that while we all have these strengths, we all have them in varying degrees. You may find that you have a great deal of perseverance, for example, but you haven’t been able to define positive goals. That’s okay. Embrace and use those strengths you already possess and develop the others.

By searching for and finding these five signs that tell you that you’ll beat anxiety, you will be moving closer to living a full life free from anxiety.

Resource: 1 American Psychiatric Association (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder, Fifth Edition. Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Association.

Let's connect. I blog here. Find me on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Pinterest. My mental health novels, including one about severe anxiety, are here.

APA Reference
Peterson, T. (2016, December 1). Five Signs That You Will Beat Anxiety, HealthyPlace. Retrieved on 2024, March 28 from https://www.healthyplace.com/blogs/anxiety-schmanxiety/2016/12/five-signs-that-tell-you-that-youll-beat-anxiety



Author: Tanya J. Peterson, MS, NCC, DAIS

Tanya J. Peterson is the author of numerous anxiety self-help books, including The Morning Magic 5-Minute Journal, The Mindful Path Through Anxiety, 101 Ways to Help Stop Anxiety, The 5-Minute Anxiety Relief Journal, The Mindfulness Journal for Anxiety, The Mindfulness Workbook for Anxiety, and Break Free: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in 3 steps. She has also written five critically acclaimed, award-winning novels about life with mental health challenges. She delivers workshops for all ages and provides online and in-person mental health education for youth. She has shared information about creating a quality life on podcasts, summits, print and online interviews and articles, and at speaking events. Tanya is a Diplomate of the American Institution of Stress helping to educate others about stress and provide useful tools for handling it well in order to live a healthy and vibrant life. Find her on her website, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Dr Musli Ferati
December, 13 2016 at 12:44 pm

Hello Mrs. Peterson,
I am much obliged to your instant and positive reflection on my comments to your mindful observation on anxiety and its repercussions to global welfare. I take occasion to express my deep thanks to your universal and omnipotent explanation of this common emotional disorder with many faces and clinical features. All the best and Merry Chrismas and Happy New Year!!!

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

December, 14 2016 at 10:37 am

Thank you, Dr. Ferati. I value your remarks and insights, and I enjoy discussing anxiety and its complex facets with you. I sincerely wish you all the best, too -- and a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Dr Musli Ferati
December, 13 2016 at 12:34 pm

Hello Mrs. Peterson,
I am much obliged to you for your instant positive reflection to my comments on your mindful observation on anxiety and its repercussion on global welfare. I take the occasion to express my deep thanks to your permanent and inventive work on universal and various review on this common of emotional disorder, such is anxiety. All the best and merry Chrismas an happy new year !!!

Dr Musli Ferati
December, 11 2016 at 3:47 am

Anxiety as unknown fear afflicting everyone, but pathological one profoundly ruins global life functioning destroying mental and physical welfare. The border between normal and pathological anxiety is invisible, but the criteria of anxiety as mental disorder are strictly distinguished by clear signs and symptoms. Each emotional perversion without any external reason that damages and decreases the index of global life functioning (GAF) should be knock under systematic psychiatric examination. Otherwise we risk to hurt from serious mental disorders, such is depression and others hard mental and somatic diseases. However, your five recommended cognitive undertakings have got great contribute to diminish the bad consequences of untreated anxiety. Above all, the positive attitude toward the world as perplex emotional impressions and opposite life experiences indicates the best way to prevent the personal integrity and to strength the mood stability, as well. On the other hand, your suggestion to make any plan for the future permit to beat anxiety, as unkind mood deflection. These and many others proactive and creative mindful and pro-social approaches have got positive and healing effect against anxiety. In a word, it ought to upbuilding personal healthy and desirable set of social functioning, in accordance with socio-cultural features of society, when respective person live and work. Otherwise, we would to face with many unpredictable personal hits from others that will increase the bondage of common anxiety.

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

December, 12 2016 at 10:40 pm

Hello Dr. Ferati,
As always, I welcome your input and discussion. You mention the GAF scale. This is such a useful indicator of one's level of functioning in many important life areas. When anxiety or any other mental disorder disrupts someone's life, using the areas on the GAF scale is incredibly useful in helping him/her overcome the obstacle and re-create the life they want to live.

Brendaa
December, 10 2016 at 9:40 am

I have moderate social anxiety. Doing some exercise and yoga helps me a lot. Trying to be positive in each aspect of life. I suggest giving a try to hemp oil as well.

Isa
December, 7 2016 at 7:19 pm

I'm so happy to have been introduced to your site. Reading all the inspirational articles that your organization puts out there have shown me that bit of light at the end of the tunnel.
God bless you guys.
Where are you based??

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

December, 8 2016 at 11:03 am

Hello Isa,
There is indeed light at the end of the tunnel, no matter how long and dark the tunnel seems when you're in it. Visit the HealthyPlace homepage, wwww.healthyplace.com, to learn more about who we are and what we do. (The "about" tab on the top might be of particular interest to you). The physical location of HealthyPlace is San Antonio, TX, but this is an internet company whose writers live around the globe. HealthyPlace doesn't provide in-person services but provides people with accurate, practical information about a wide variety of mental health topics.

will
December, 1 2016 at 3:26 am

You have enlivened such a large number of Health web journals! Continue doing the website for Live a Little Longer things that you generally do!

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