DISCLAIMER: Please note that I am not a medical professional, counselor, therapist, psychologist, or any of the like there of. I am not licensed to give professional advice in terms of mental health disorders & medical advice. All statements below are my own personal experiences and personal advice. I am not liable for any outcomes or decisions made based off of this writing or other articles written by myself on this website. Please see a licensed, medical professional for mental health advice and/or counseling.
Anxiety is not a bad thing. Let me repeat that.
ANXIETY IS NOT A BAD THING.
I used to believe that because I experience large amounts of anxiety and was diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), that it was “bad”.
It made me feel weak, helpless, and just plain depressed. However….
That is not true. Not even one bit.
It is true that during a panic attack or anxiety attack you do physically feel week. Because what it feels like on the inside of your body and brain, is as if you are about to die of fear or panic, but you don’t know why.
Your body shakes, you get light headed, your stomach starts to turn, maybe your chest hurts, your heart races, your thoughts run 1,000 miles and hour, and there is this odd feeling that everything around you is moving really fast, but time is going by slow. This is something I can’t even really explain, you just have to had experienced it.
It’s not a fun or comfortable feeling, it’s actually very UNcomfortable. But, if you can make it through the uncomfortable part, trust me, there is hope to overcome and manage it.
In our culture today it’s not pretty or desirable to be weak. When the words “mental illness/health/struggles” are spoken its like this weird cringe happens in every ones minds. Typically people hear mental illness and think, “Crazy, psych ward, mentally insane, non-functioning” or people literally that “go off the deep end”. And although some of those things do happen, I would say its definitely not the norm.
Everyone has a brain. You can’t live without one. Therefore, EVERY ONE HAS MENTAL HEALTH. Plain and simple. Stop reading or hearing the words “Mental Health” and running the other direction or try to change the subject.
Many people have said “Your thoughts dictate your life”, many self help books, anxiety books, therapists and counselors will tell you that. Why? Because IT’S TRUE.
Just because someone deals with anxiety or depression on a daily basis, or any other type of mental struggles, doesn’t mean they are weak. You guys, we NEED anxiety to survive. Did you read that right? Yes we NEED it to survive. Without it you would walk right up to a grizzly bear and try to say hello.
Anxiety is ingrained in our biological DNA. It is the danger warning our bodies need to help keep us safe.
So if you experience GAD, or panic/anxiety attacks every once in awhile, the goal is not to get rid of it. (You might be thinking I’m crazy, I’m not. Just hear me out.)
The goal is to realize that its NOT bad, you are NOT weak from it, not incapable of doing hard things, and that you are NOT crazy.
The goal is to recognize the anxiety and manage it. We don’t want it to be the driving force of our lives.
You also can’t control anxiety. Nope. Don’t even try it. If you could control it you wouldn’t be having panic attacks would you? Ooooh yep, I said it. What you can control is your reaction to the anxiety. Is it bad that we can’t control it? Nope. Is it bad that we have to learn how to react to it in a healthy way? Nope.
I have been learning over the past 9+ months all about this. I have had to get over the stigma that because I have GAD I was weak and it was a bad thing. I’ve had to work on letting the wave of anxiety come and feeling uncomfortable for a short while. I’ve had to LEARN to react to it in a healthy way with many different coping skills. I’ve have to learn to not let is be the driving force of my thoughts, actions, emotions, and life.
If I let it take the steering wheel it will make all of my decisions for me. Those fears, anxieties, and worries would halt all of the dreams and goals I’m working towards. It would take FULL control and I wouldn’t be able to react to it in a healthy way.
You guys, we need to stop letting anxiety think for us. That is NOT an easy thing to do but you have to start the process of feeling uncomfortable and being okay with it. You have to physically overcome some of those anxious fears of different situations. If you don’t face it, that fear will only grow and get worse.
Your anxiety tells you the worst of things. Why are you even letting it talk? Anxiety is the one that tells you “its bad, you are weak, you are seriously crazy, you actually might die from this, what if other people found out?”.
I used to think that until one day I physically said something, out loud, and acknowledged it. And guess what?? My anxiety was WRONG! I had nothing but love and support from everyone around me. I was able to start medication (that I will hopefully be off of soon) and therapy to truly start healing and facing all of these crazy fears. I was not the only person who felt or thought like this.
No one is alone in the battle of mental health. Your thoughts may lead you to think that, but you are not alone.
Anxiety is not bad. But oddly enough, its the anxious thoughts that tell you that.
It’s okay to have anxiety. Its okay to ask for help. Its okay to talk about it. And its MORE than okay to heal from it.
And you know whats also okay? That it will not leave.
Don’t let it take the steering wheel of your thoughts, which will ultimately decide every other aspect of your life.
It feels bad, uncomfortable, painful, exhausting, emotional, and scary. But….
Anxiety is not bad.
I hope you enjoyed this post. If you did, would you share it with someone you know or might be struggling with something similar? I only want this to help people.
Thanks for reading,
~Erin, The Short Wife
DISCLAIMER: Please note that I am not a medical professional, counselor, therapist, psychologist, or any of the like there of. I am not licensed to give professional advice in terms of mental health disorders & medical advice. All statements below are my own personal experiences and personal advice. I am not liable for any outcomes or decisions made based off of this writing or other articles written by myself on this website. Please see a licensed, medical professional for mental health advice and/or counseling.
The Short Wife 