Anxiety Isn’t Just ‘Who You Are’-Practical Steps to Manage and Overcome It
Let’s be real—anxiety’s probably something you’ve tangled with before. Whether it’s a full-blown panic or just that nagging feeling in the background, we’ve all been there.
That heart-racing, gut-wrenching, sweaty-palmed, shaky feeling where you can’t catch a breath, let alone catch a break. Maybe it makes you want to cry, throw up, or dive under the duvet. Or perhaps it’s more subtle, allowing you to push through your day, but you feel like one minor inconvenience could leave you panic-stricken.
The truth about anxiety is that we all experience it, but because the term is so broad, it can cause us to doubt or minimise our experience. You might brush it off as ‘just who you are,’ saying things like, ‘I’ve always been like this,’ because it’s easier than trying to figure out why you’re anxious—especially if you feel embarrassed about it. Trust me, I’ve been there.
Now, I’m not going to villainise anxiety—it has its place. When it’s doing its job, anxiety can save your life. But with the world evolving faster than our brains, anxiety has started showing up when it simply shouldn’t be required.
It’s crucial to acknowledge that there are often clear factors fueling our anxious thoughts. It might be a stressful work situation, a looming deadline, or unresolved personal issues. But recognising the ‘why’ and showing yourself compassion can help reduce anxiety—especially with the right tools and support in place.
Anxiety isn’t a one-size-fits-all experience, but there are common themes. Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT) identifies distorted thinking patterns that can fuel anxiety, such as catastrophising, overgeneralising, and “what if?” thinking. Have you ever caught yourself thinking things like:
“What if something terrible happens in the future?”
“What if they don’t like me?”
“What if everything goes wrong?”
“If I don’t do this perfectly, I’ll fail.”
“What if I leave the house and need the loo?”
“I can’t stop thinking about what I should have done differently.”
“Is the door locked? I should check it.”
“What if I have a serious health issue that no one has diagnosed?”
“What if something happens to my loved ones?”
“I should have done something differently in the past.”
“This always happens to me.”
These thoughts alone are relatively harmless, but if we allow them to be persistent/excessive, this is when they can become problematic, interfere with our daily lives and turn into something much larger. This is because anxiety is driven by our perceptions and beliefs—how we view the world, how we think others perceive us, and how we see ourselves. If we believe others are judging us or that we’re failing to meet our own expectations, these perceptions can fuel anxiety. Our inner dialogue often amplifies these fears, leading to a cycle of stress and worry.
So, the next time you’re tempted to brush it off with, ‘it’s just who I am,’ or worse, give yourself a hard time for feeling this way, take a moment to reflect. What’s really making you anxious today? Can you label it as a ‘thought’ or a ‘feeling’? By doing this, you’re engaging the analytical part of your brain (your prefrontal cortex), which helps divert you from those primitive, anxiety-driven responses and in turn will help reduce the intensity of your emotional responses.
Then, consider one small thing you can do for yourself right now that might make you feel just 1% better. Maybe it’s getting a glass of water, brushing your teeth, eating a snack, stepping away from your desk, or getting outside for a breath of fresh air. Pick one thing and notice how it feels. We call this Behavioural Activation, a strategy used in many forms of therapy to counteract anxiety and depression.
The goal isn’t to ruminate on what’s making you anxious; it’s to focus on what you can do to feel just a bit better in the moment. Each time you do this, you’re building a sense of self-compassion and safety, making it easier to take small, manageable steps towards overcoming the things that cause your anxiety in the first place.
But what if those small steps feel out of reach? What if even getting out of bed feels overwhelming? This is where Solution-Focused Hypnotherapy comes in. It’s not about digging into the past or rehashing old wounds—it’s about focusing on the present and future. Solution-Focused Hypnotherapy helps you build small wins, giving you the control you need to take strategic steps towards facing the things that usually cause anxiety.
Rather than letting your mind spiral into ‘what if’ scenarios, hypnotherapy helps you practise positive visualisation. You train your brain to expect success instead of failure, calm instead of panic. Over time, this rewires your brain to react differently in situations that would normally set off your anxiety. This process is known as neuroplasticity, where the brain’s neural networks can change and adapt based on new experiences and learning.
Now take a moment and Imagine going through your day without that constant sense of dread, where your inner dialogue shifts from ‘I can’t’ to ‘I’ve got this.’
Hypnotherapy can equip you with the tools to manage anxiety, but more importantly, it’ll give you back a sense of agency, putting you in control. It’s about making your life bigger than your anxiety—one small, strategic step at a time. The more you practise, the more you’ll find that you can face what scares you, reserving anxiety for when it’s truly needed, not for everyday life.
So, the next time you find yourself in an anxious loop, remember that you’re not alone, and you’re not stuck. There’s a way forward, and it starts with a conversation. If you’re ready to take back control and explore how hypnotherapy can help you reclaim your calm and confidence, let’s chat. The initial consultation is free, and together, we can work towards a life where anxiety stops calling the shots.
Thank you for reading! If you’d be interested in more blog posts - like this one, let me know on socials.
Best wishes,
Neesa
