How To Think Yourself Out Of Anxiety

Is it actually possible to think yourself out of anxiety? Anyone who has ever suffered severe anxiety would probably say no, but it actually is possible. I am not going to sugar coat it and say it is easy to do so. Because it isn't. It is very hard, and it takes a very long time to think yourself out of anxiety, but it is possible.

First, you need to recognize where the anxiety comes from. Most of it comes from negative self talk, low self esteem, and constantly worrying about the worst thing that could happen. All of these things together cause you to suffer from undue fear and anxiety.

Negative self talk is a very deep habit that many many people are in. This habit often begins in childhood and many times continues your entire life. Because of the longevity, and silence of the habit it is one of the hardest habits to break from. By silence I mean that no one else knows when you're doing it, and there is no way to be held accountable for your actions. Beyond that, often times you don't even know when you are doing it. It is just a quick little thought that flashes through your brain without you even realizing it. So besides no one being able to hear your thoughts and hold you accountable you are often not able to hold yourself accountable because these thoughts are so common that you just forget about them right after they occur, but their negative impact is still felt.

In order to beat this horrible habit you must first make an active effort to pay attention to all of your thoughts. Instead of just thinking things all day and then forgetting them you have to train yourself to pay attention to your thoughts. Then you must make a long list of everything your like about yourself, every good feature, skill, or anything else that could be considered positive. From that point EVERY time you catch yourself thinking a negative thought, rather it be about yourself, or about something external, you must consciously think three of the positive things from the list you created. This will not be an instant fix, and it will take an extremely long time to be able to get yourself out of the horrible habit, but if you do this consistently for 30 days without fail you will start seeing some improvement. The benefit of this is two fold: first it gets you out of the habit or negative self talk, and it also improves your self esteem.

Besides thinking positive things about yourself to improve your self esteem you can also take an additional step to improve your self esteem. Identify the three top skills, hobbies, attributes, features, or activities you participate in that make you unique. Then focus on these three things. Spend time every day getting better at these things, and whenever you think something bad about yourself think of the three positive things previously identified, and then think about how good you are at one of the skills you have identified. Then join social groups that place a value on your unique skill so that they can provide value to your internal compliments.

Constantly worrying about the worst possible situation also can cause severe anxiety. The best way to get past this is to just think about any situation that is bothering you, and then think about the worst outcome that could come from this. Then think about all the ramifications from this happening. Then just accept that as the inevitable outcome and move on. I know this is counter intuitive, but it really does work in relieving anxiety.

For instance, if you are worrying all day about a test you have to take, and its all you think about, just imagine that you fail the test. Then think what would happen if that happened. You would get a lower grade in the course, and might even possibly have to retake the class. But then what? Nothing, life would go on. Even if the worst possible, most unlikely outcome happens, you will be fine. If the worst outcome happens I guarantee you that you will be fine, and move on. So just accept that outcome as being inevitable, and move on. Then if you do better (incredibly likely) you feel great about yourself, and you didn't have to deal with all that worry about what might happen.

As I said in the beginning all of this is incredibly hard to do, and not easy to accomplish. But it can be done. If you truly commit yourself to achieving these things you can improve your life, and relieve your anxiety.