I have noticed that a lot of people in here write about experiences anxiety and today, I realized I wanted to share some of my own experience with you, as well as some of what I've learned in learning how to deal with it. Long story short: I struggled with anxiety for years until it finally came to a head, I had to listen to it and learned how to cope. It's taken me years to actually learn to practice doing that, to learn that anxiety is something I will have to live with probably for the rest of my life. I have learned a lot about how to cope with it though, and keep finding that it's got a lot to do with practicing (!! not thinking about, not having intentions of, not trying to, but practicing) self-compassion. In no way am I fully schooled yet, and each time I have another anxiety experience is another chance to learn more about how to live with it in a self-compassionate way. Reading a piece from Tiny Buddha today, I found it described one way of practicing self-compassion that I can really relate to and that I know has helped me a lot. (I haven't seen the movie the author is talking about, but that's really besides the point.) Anyway, I hope it can be of help to someone. Here you go. Love, PG
Very insightful. Thank you for sharing! Reading this article I realized that for a while I found a way to suppress my anxiety, but that it actually made me a less productive person. I think anxiety, in manageable amounts can be a positive thing.
thanks.. i've been having constant anxiety for awhile now.. and all i ever really do is depress myself more whenever it happens.. and i didn't really realize it up until i read that article..
That article... Hmm.... I don't think it's wise to see anxiety as a gift. That way you'll never get rid of it. That's the same suicidal advice as "love your illness". Guess what, your illness doesn't love you, nor your anxiety. I definitely wouldn't love anything that makes my life a living Hell.
There's a subtle difference, though, between accepting and succumbing. It seems paradoxical, but when you can acknowledge your patterns of thinking without judgment and realize that you can't (and don't need to) control those thoughts, they cease to have control over you.