Cheer up you because I know you feel like your on the never ending train wreck from hell (anxiety disorder). But alas everything is not as bad as it seems. Now I have anxiety like you do so I would never scam you and say everything is peaches and cream. At the same time however I would seriously advise you to not despair and to stay positive.

One of the easiest traps to fall into when you have an anxiety disorder is the self doubt, self pity, long term projected disasters hole. And, to an extent, I understand why this is. I mean after all your social life is suffering, your constantly uneasy and panic comes so swiftly.

This would get anyone down, but all I’m saying is don’t let it keep you down. When things go bad it’s important to keep everything else in clear perspective. If your reading this chances are you have somewhere to live, food to eat, water to drink, etc.

Having anxiety can cause you to get tunnel vision and make you lose sight of all the beauty in your life. Everything becomes all about anxiety and this tendency can control your life in a negative way if you let it.

Don’t pity yourself and realize that with the bad there is always the good. You won’t feel bad every minute of every day even if it doesn’t feel like that now.

When I first developed anxiety I had anxious feelings and thoughts for 6 months straight. Now I am still an anxious person but the ratio of anxiety filled days versus non anxiety filled days has changed for me. I am now about 90% calm and 10% not so calm – things can and do change.

I’m sure you crawl the world wide web in hopes of finding THE solution but I can assure you it does not exist, or it does not exist in the way that you have envisioned it.

The solution, if you want to call it that, is you. It is based on your attitude toward your condition, what you do to cope with it and the passage of time. Personally I’m not a very patient person, and most other people are this way too. But you have to let the solution come to you.

I receive a lot of email questions regarding anxiety and anxiety disorders. One of the most common questions I get is “how can I get over X”? X is usually some fear or worry that persist for a long period of time.

My responses vary because the problems vary but ultimately the answer to this question is that you have to find a way to do three things really well.

1. Accept: You have to accept that you don’t feel good sometimes but that no matter what is going on you will not be harmed. This is crucial because it allows you to relax, if even just a little at first, while you regain control.

2. Do stuff: You have to do things to help yourself cope with anxiety. Whether that is eating healthy, exercising, picking up a hobby, or all of the above. Sitting on the couch will not create great results.

3. Change your thinking: Everything is so negative in the world so resist and don’t join this party. Also, force positivity into your everyday thinking. Think good/positive things and your feelings will follow. Anxiety is so heavily based on our emotional state and this is why it is so important to increase your emotional baseline.

I remember days when I would cry like a baby because I thought I would never get better. And although I admit that I am not 100% cured I am doing so much better than I was just 6 months ago. We all have our bad times and even longer durations of negativity. But this fact notwithstanding we still can find the brighter side if we try.

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