The 15 Things No One Ever Tells You About Having Anxiety

If you or a loved one has anxiety, you probably know what it feels like to constantly worry about the feeling that something bad is going to happen. You may know that it's something that's highly common and normal, but there are still plenty of things people don't talk about when they have anxiety. This list features 15 items that no one talks about when they have anxiety, with ideas on how you can cope with them.

1. It's Not About Control

It's normal to think that if you could just control your anxiety, the issue would go away. You might think that if you could make it go away, you would be fine. The issue is that this isn't about controllable things, it is about a fear based emotion that has a lot of room for outside factors such as stress and exhaustion to have an effect on your body. If you are trying to control anxiety, there are techniques like meditation or exercise which can help you feel calmer than worrying about what might happen will help.

2. You Need To Change Your Thoughts

Everyone has the same thoughts of "what if" and how to deal with them, but when you have anxiety it can be a set up for going into a cycle of fear based thinking. Most of the time, you aren't able to control what is happening around you, so it is understandable that anxiety based thoughts can happen. However, what is important is that when you find yourself going down this path, you need to try and change your thoughts to things that will help you feel better. If things are on your mind a lot, they can start to consume all of the time that isn't necessary spent worrying about them.

3. It's Not A Bad Thing

Most people feel that anxiety is a bad thing, but they may be doing it in the wrong way. Anxiety can be a natural stress response, and if you aren't able to let your mind process things at a slower pace, it can look as though you are feeling anxious because something is happening that you can't control. If you are able to accept that your feelings of anxiety have been caused by things outside of your control, it often makes them easier to cope with.

4. You Are Not Alone

One of the reasons for this list is to emphasize that anxiety can feel like a huge burden alone, but it is not. You are not the only person dealing with anxiety or who has ever dealt with anxiety. Anxiety is a normal reaction to problems, and it simply means you are trying to cope with whatever it is that's making you feel that way. Being able to talk about your feelings can help lift some of the burden and make them less scary.

5. It Will Pass

No one knows exactly when they get anxious or how long they will feel anxious, but at some point anxiety will pass on its own without needing anything being done about it. There are things you can do now to help yourself cope with anxiety in the future, but anxiety comes and goes. It can be hard to remember, but if you don't try and make it last, then it will pass as soon as you are ready for it.

6. You Will Make Progress Over Time

This kind of sounds like a given, but people don't always recognize that they will not always feel this way. Some days may be good while other days may be bad, but over time most people will start to feel better at coping with anxiety on their own instead of finding medications that can take hold of your mind and body both. If you feel like you are not making progress with dealing with your anxiety, it can be good to try and talk these feelings out to someone.

7. It's Okay To Feel Fear

People don't always equate anxiety with fear, but it is a level of fear that the body has been wired to have for safety reasons. The issue comes when people take those feelings as a sign of something wrong happening, when really they are just normal responses to upsetting situations. If you can recognize that whatever is causing the anger is something outside of your control and will pass eventually, then your body's fear reaction should also naturally pass as well.

8. You Need To Rest

Whether it is for a day or for an hour, it is important to rest when you can so that your body and mind can recover from pushing itself as hard as it has been. Try to recognize when you need to rest, and don't push yourself past that point if you don't have to because your body needs to take care of itself first. If you feel like this is impossible, try taking time out even if it's just ten minutes at a time or moving off the couch or bed so that you are getting up and around again. There are things like naps too that can help while still being small at the same time.

9. You Are Not Alone

It can be a terrible idea if this alone will end up driving anxiety into the ground, but there are a lot of people dealing with anxiety issues at this point so there will always be a place to talk about them when they come up in conversation or on Facebook. Knowing that you aren't the only one dealing with these feelings is comforting and can help you feel less alone when you are going through hard times.

10. You're Not Crazy

Everyone has their issues and struggles in life, but anxiety can make it seem as though something is wrong with you when it isn't necessarily true. The condition may be rare, but that doesn't mean your thoughts about them aren't valid. The problem with anxiety is that people tend to think if those thoughts are abnormal or bad, they must be true on some level and think of themselves as crazy. This can drive anxiety up even more when someone feels like they have a label for something wrong with them.

11. You Will Eventually Feel Better

This doesn't mean it will happen right away, but if you stick around and let anxiety run its course, you should start to feel better soon. This process will take time and patience, but it is absolutely worth waiting for as the support that others can offer as well can help make the process much easier. It may be hard to think about, but there is a lot of good in being able to rely on people that understand what you are going through.

12. Think About It

It can be hard to think about the things that are making you feel anxious, especially if you don't know what to do about them. It is easier to dwell on these things and focus on the fact that you don't know if you feel better or not. There are a few techniques and ways of thinking that can help improve your anxiety enough so that you can focus on the people around you and get back to living your life as soon as possible.

13. You Need To Take Care Of Yourself First

Sometimes it is hard, but this works two ways because yes, other people need to take care of themselves too. They need to take care of themselves so that they don't have to worry about you too much and vice versa. It can be hard to accept this at first, but it is important that you take care of yourself and recharge if you don't feel like you have enough energy to stop what is worrying you. You may not get better right away, but this is a lot of the reason why talking about how you are feeling and learning how to cope with anxiety is the first place people always start.

14. Be Honest

If you are having trouble dealing with anxiety, it can be easy to ignore it because you think that no one else will understand what you are going through. You don't want to be the person that is clinging over someone else because you will lose them a lot faster if they tell you something is wrong or if things aren't working out as well as you hoped. It may not seem important, but knowing for sure what is going on and how to make it better can help get the weight off of your shoulders a lot quicker than just not really knowing how things were.

15. Be Visible

Sometimes people avoid talking about how they are feeling because it can be hard to admit that they are struggling with something. It can also be a lot easier to not deal with it in the first place if you don't feel like anyone would understand. You don't have to tell anyone what is bothering you unless the need for that support for yourself is absolutely necessary and there is someone else in your life that understands your struggles and wants support too. If anxiety has been a problem in your life, it is important to reach out and find help so that you can feel good again.

In Conclusion

With all the information out there, you should be able to find the help you need to overcome your anxiety and live the life you want. You may not feel better right away, but it will be worth waiting for as long as it takes to get there. Don't let anxiety control your life. The world is a better place when we all work hard and work together towards our goals. Take care of yourself and try not to give in to these thoughts because they can lead to all kinds of bad things in the long run if you don't see a way out of them or don't have someone that can help you change their course for the better.