Getting Rid of False Anxiety

When you are suffering from anxiety, sometimes it’s hard to recognize the things that are making us anxious. What people may not realize, is that this not knowing could be a stressor in itself. Often times when people have anxiety, they have unwanted thoughts which they try to control and can be what causes the anxiety to begin with. But these unwanted thoughts are not the only things we do to ourselves that cause anxiety. There are many other examples, and with each of these things, there are ways to eliminate that anxiety.
 
Unwanted thoughts are one of the most common examples of false anxiety. Often time we as humans tend to be cynical, thinking about worst case scenarios, ‘what if’ thoughts so to speak. We tend to get so caught up in our thoughts that we end up getting trapped by them. When this happens, we can become obsessive over them and create realities around these thoughts. Trying to force yourself to stop these thoughts will only increase them, which is why it causes so much anxiety. Some ways to overcome them might include forcing the thought, meaning you make yourself think about it until you grow tired of the thought. This won’t stop the thoughts necessarily, but it will help reduce anxiety when you think them because it will become trivial. It’s also good to monitor your reaction to the thoughts because when you have negative reactions, you increase anxiety. If you remind yourself that they’re just thoughts and that they only affect you how you let them, eventually they will become unimportant.
 
Setting expectations or resolutions can increase anxiety because you’re trying to make yourself do something that you may not be able to do by yourself, or it may be something you aren’t comfortable doing. In these situations, it’s important not to set goals like getting rid of anxiety or being happier, because you’ll cause yourself more unneeded anxiety by trying to reach them. Instead, it’s better to set the intention to get to know yourself and love yourself the way you are so that you can learn to be okay with your anxieties and you don’t stress yourself out trying to control something. When you are accepting your anxiety, and trying to live with it, eventually the anxiety will disappear because you aren’t stressing yourself out trying to get rid of it.
 
When addressing false anxieties, it is important to remember that all anxiety is real to you and that every person deals with their anxiety differently. Because these anxieties are induced by our own minds, sometimes it’s hard to recognize them for what they are. It is okay and even encouraged, to seek aid from someone who can help you sort your thoughts and identify where your anxiety comes from. They can help you learn to love yourself despite your anxiety. Seeking aid from someone is a great step in concurring your fears and in turn reducing and even eliminating your anxiety.