#18 Do You Control Your Anxiety or Does It Control You?

I used to let my anxiety control me, totally control me, It decided when I went out, when I would eat, when I would sleep, when I would see my friends, when I would wash and many other things. It would literally control in my life.

If you saw me back then, compared to how I am now, you would be in total shock and disbelief. I now run Authentic Mental Health, a YouTube channel talking about my experiences with anxiety and depression. I offer people advice in our community and support people who need and come to me for help. In 11 months I have nearly 6 million views and over 57,000 subscribers, it just goes to show YOU ARE NEVER ALONE! No matter how bad you think you are or how badly you’re suffering, you will NEVER BE ALONE!

So how did I go from letting my anxiety control my life to controlling my anxiety and helping others? Well, that’s a good question and I’m going to tell you 1 very simple tip on how you can control your anxiety too.

I used to overthink. I used to overthink EVERYTHING. I started to notice I would think about everything and anything when I felt anxious or when my anxiety was sky high. If I had muscle tension in my chest I would think “I’m dying, I’m having a heart attack, OMG will anybody miss me if I die?

As you can see overthinking isn’t good at all, in fact, it makes you feel and makes your anxiety MUCH WORSE! I needed to find a solution to this problem. How can I stop overthinking when I’m anxious or my anxiety levels are high?

I tried a few things over the following weeks, but nothing that really worked until, by accident, I found something that finally worked and this is something I use/do EVERYTIME I feel this way. That thing was DISTRACTION.

You’re probably thinking to yourself “Distraction!? How on earth will that help me and my anxiety, you’re talking rubbish”. Instead of thinking negatively, start thinking positively, if you think something is wrong or is going to go wrong, you convince yourself it is or will!

When I get muscle tension now I distract myself; I go and do the washing up, I go for a walk, I go to the gym, I make YouTube videos, I watch television, I read a book, I cook dinner, lunch or breakfast, I do something to take my mind off what I’m thinking about and how I’m feeling.

After a few minutes of distracting myself, I totally forget about my muscle tension, I totally forget about my wild thoughts about dying or will anyone miss me if I die. This is a very simple and easy trick that ANYONE no matter how old or young you are can do!

YOU CAN CONTROL YOUR ANXIETY, DON’T LET YOUR ANXIETY CONTROL YOU

Charlie Marshall (Via MenTellHealth)

#18 Do You Control Your Anxiety or Does It Control You?

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