10 Things to Remember If You Have Anxiety

|Anxiety is something we all face in one way or another, and so it can be important to learn more about things to remember when you experience this very common phenomenon of feeling anxious. ​

The following blog article has been written by a fellow mental health blogger who has personal experience with anxiety. She shares some great information and tips on steps to take if the anxiety you're experiencing has become overwhelming for you.

Be sure to share your own experience of anxiety and tips to remember in the comments following the post. Enjoy the read!

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About the Author

My name is Kari, and I'm a mental health and relationship blogger at ConnectWithKari.com

I've been managing severe anxiety for the last 3 years, and I'm passionate about teaching others how to manage theirs too.

​My blog is where I put my passion into helping others, by sharing real life situations that I've personally been through, and how I'm able to overcome each one of them. 

My ultimate goal is to spread awareness about mental health, to help people  understand what it's really like to live with a mental illness. 

I hope that you enjoy this article, but more importantly, I hope that you don't forget them. 

Thank you for reading!

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10 Things to Remember If You Have Anxiety

Here's why having anxiety isn't such a bad thing, and how it can actually work in your favor.  Have you ever sat there and thought about what your life would be like if you didn't have anxiety?

Like: "What would I have accomplished that I could be proud of?" "How many more friends would I have?" Or, "What are some things that I've missed out on because anxiety always held me back?"

I have...many times! 

At first, these thoughts practically controlled my life and made me feel like a failure. 

I would play the same things over and over again in my head, for hours upon hours, and days upon days. For instance: My graduation day -- if only I would've finished college; and the new car I could be driving around in if only I would've landed that dream job. 

I used to obsess over these thoughts and reflect on how much I wish that I never had to experience anxiety to this extent. The fact that I wasn't where I wanted to be or that I wasn't able to accomplish the things that I had set out to do, just overwhelmed me with extreme anxiety. 
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I hated the fact that I had to give up so many things in my life because anxiety always stopped me. 

But here's the update: 

Those thoughts are long gone now. In fact, I think the very opposite of what I used to, and I'm thankful for everything I've learned and all the knowledge that I gained from this painful experience. ​

"Life is a learning experience, only if you learn." ~Yoggi Berra 

​I'm so happy to be where I'm at, at this point in my life and I'm thankful for where this experience has lead me.

Even though I'm not EXACTLY where I want to be (yet), and those thoughts still naturally come up every now and then, I'm living my life as if I were already there and I'm working towards getting to where I want to be. 

I'm living my life doing what I'm passionate about. At the same time, I'm also making sure that I don't let certain thoughts control me (like they used to) and I'm living more in the moment, like I never have before. 

And you my friend, can have the same for your life as long as you remember that life is a journey, and we always have to expect the unexpected.

So, next I'm going to share a few important things that I always try to remember whenever my mind tries to bring me back to that dark place again. Next time you're feeling bad about where you're at in life right now, try to remind yourself of these 10 things. ​

1. Anxiety Makes You Strong-Minded

I don't know about you, but I feel so much more powerful. And not in a weird "super power" way, just in a way that makes me feel empowered and excited to continue working on ways to improve my mental health.
 
Had it never been for my experience, I never would've thought to start meditating, or doing yoga, or even being more mindful, or any of that. 

I didn't realize how much I had been neglecting my mental health, previous to my experience. 
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It wasn't until I was forced to do all of these good things for myself, that I realized how important and how powerful they are for our minds. 

Think of it this way; if you're doing all of these necessary things like: yoga, meditating, being more mindful, or exercising, you're one step ahead of everyone else. Because who do you know that takes these things as serious as someone with a mental illness? 
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Therefore, you're actually on a path to a very strong-minded person (yourself), as long as you continue to improve in these areas of your life. ​

2. You're a Problem Solver

When the wheels in your head start spinning, what's the number one thing you're trying to accomplish? Usually, you're looking for answers to your problems. You're trying to think of the best possible solutions. Right? 

That's because you're a problem solver. You can't rest until you feel good about the solutions that you came up with for your problems. Most people might just ignore certain things because it's too much to deal with. 

You, on the other hand, won't rest until you've come up with some ideas to solve your problems which is what causes you to start overthinking. ​

3. You're Becoming Your Best Version Of You

Anxiety forces us to work on our mental health which people don't tend to really think about too much. 

As you learn more techniques and you incorporate them into your everyday life, the more you're improving your life and becoming the best version of you. 

You might not see it now but eventually you will realize just how much you're becoming a better, more healthier version of you. 

4. Anxiety Teaches Us Self-Awareness

​Self-awareness is one of the greatest skills in life because it enables you to learn more about yourself. 

Self-awareness is about self-discovery -- It's about how you perceive yourself and it's about identifying your strengths and weaknesses. 

Self-awareness gives you a keen sense about how others might think about you, since you're able to detect certain vibes that they're letting off based on certain behaviors. 
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Being aware creates an opportunity to make changes in your life. It helps you develop stronger character that leads others with purpose, and genuine compassion.

5. Anxiety Makes You More Mindful

People who are mindful are the ones who learn from their mistakes fairly quickly. 
Because you're more conscientious of the way that you present yourself, you will feel more equipped to lead others and yourself, with more confidence. 

You're constantly trying to improve, which is why you're mindful of the things that you say and do. 

This usually happens because you worry about what other people think about you... which is why I don't necessarily see this as a bad thing. 

6. Remind Yourself That It's Just Anxiety

Whenever I'm feeling overwhelmed and I start experiencing anxiety symptoms such as dizziness, I repeat this to myself "it's just anxiety."

I repeat this over and over again to remind myself that I'm just experiencing an adrenaline rush. Because that's all that anxiety really is.

Although it can sometimes feel like you might pass out, you won't. 

I've felt like this many times and I just remind myself that it's just the adrenaline kicking in, and this does not cause one to pass out.

7. Anxiety Lies

Remember, anxiety lies. 

Anxiety only gives us the worst case scenario. 

But remember, anxiety is just an emotion caused by a thought. 

And a thought is just that...a thought. 

Thoughts come and go and they're created by our natural instinct to protect ourselves. 

Which means, your mind is only going to be flooded with worst case scenarios, since that's how anxiety works to protect you. 

Anxiety is a natural worrier. Anxiety doesn't want to be caught with its "foot in its mouth." Therefore, it will always try to be one step ahead of every situation. 

Essentially, anxiety is a paranoid little worrier that never let its guard down. 

Just because anxiety is telling you something, doesn't mean that its true. 
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It just wants to keep you safe by cautioning you about EVERYTHING! 

MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCE VAULT

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Check your email for instructions on how to access the Mental Health Resource Vault. :)

8. You have a higher IQ 

Did you know that studies have shown that people who suffer from anxiety have a higher IQ?! 

Yep...you might suffer from anxiety, but who ever said that was a bad thing. Well, it's not, in the sense of higher intelligence.
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You can read more about this here. 

9. Anxiety Helps Your Reach Your Goals

Again, you won't stop until you feel good about where you're at in life. 

You might not have all the answers yet, but I can tell you that you're one step closer to achieving your goals and getting the answers that you're searching for. 

If there's something that needs to be done, we're always pushing ourselves far beyond what most people can't imagine being possible. 

I know for me, I don't feel content unless I've checked off every little task that I've set out to do for myself. 

Anxiety won't let me have it any other way. 

10. Anxiety makes you wiser 

I'm guessing that you've probably been through many traumatic experiences. 
Negative experiences are particularly good for developing wisdom. Reason being, is that this is where we learn from our mistakes and it's where we learn more about our own behaviors. 

We become stronger and more resilient with each traumatic event that we have to endure. 

Compassion and empathy are also components of a wise person. And I believe that part of who we are as anxiety sufferers, is picking up on other people's emotions. 
Which in turn makes us more compassionate and empathetic towards others. 

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Final thoughts 

If at any moment in time you feel like you're different or that you're not like other people because you suffer from a mental illness, it's because you're not. 

You're actually very unique and you carry much more wisdom than you realize. 
So, whenever you're feeling bad about who you are or what you've been through, I hope that you will remember these 10 things. 

Instead of knocking your illness or believing any of the negative comments that other people might have to say about you, just remember that there's nothing wrong with you and that you're one of the strongest people I know! 

You have a gift that most people weren't given. 

Thank you so much for reading!  ~ Kari ​

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Related:

• 10 Best Anxiety Posts
• Top 10 Strategies for Coping with Social Anxiety
  
• How Gratitude Affects the Brain: Gratitude and Mental Health

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