Anxiety sufferers always seem to be looking for that elusive, magic cure for anxiety.
Whether it's medication, hypnosis or buying the latest "Cure Anxiety" product on the internet, we find ourselves constantly searching for that elusive cure, always hoping that the next thing we try will be "the one".
But while we're busy looking and searching, quite often we overlook the one thing that's staring us in the face.
Well...
staring us in the mirror, actually! Yes, that's right, it's you! Don't ever underestimate how much of your anxiety is self made.
Sorry, if that sounds a bit blunt but it's true.
And actually that's to your advantage because if your anxiety is self made then that means it can be self "cured" as well.
Quite often, it's our own thoughts and reactions that lead us into having anxiety.
We worry ourselves into a frenzy over what might happen or what someone might think about us.
We worry about whether we can achieve the tasks we've set ourselves or keep the promises we've made.
We worry about anything and everything..
..
And then what do we do? We start worrying that we're worrying too much! Crazy, isn't it? So let's just stop and take a step back from all of this for a moment, ok? The whole situation about worrying is a classic example of how the human mind is easily swayed and easily distracted.
Once one anxious thought creeps in, you whirl it round in your mind and then you give it all of your attention.
And then what happens? Negative thoughts can't get a look in if you're busy concentrating 100% on just one thing.
If you've not tried this out then do give it a go.
You'd be amazed at how much you can "forget" while you're totally focused on just one task, particularly if it's something you're really enjoying doing or something that is complicated and needs a lot of thought.
This works in reverse too.
If you're busy focusing totally on your negative thoughts or on something that's worrying you then guess what? There's no room for positive thoughts to get in your head unless you consciously make room for them.
And so the worry - anxiety - worry cycle begins again.
A lot of anxiety sufferers find it really difficult to acknowledge that they could be the cause of their own anxiety.
And I don't blame them! It took me many, many years to finally admit that I had caused all of those horrible symptoms myself.
I wasn't stupid.
I knew that anxiety was a condition that could be diagnosed by a doctor.
So what did it have to do with me? I was just the innocent victim of this "disorder", wasn't I? It was only after many years of reading up on how thoughts can influence your physical body that I came to realise that I really was my own worst enemy.
Ok, so I didn't know and understand what was happening at the time.
Fair enough.
If I had known I certainly wouldn't have put myself through all those years of struggling with anxiety and the crippling effect it had on my life! You too might find it hard to accept that your anxiety is coming from your thoughts and how you react to them.
Now don't get me wrong here.
I'm not 'blaming' you for your condition.
Nor am I suggesting that it's really easy to cure anxiety.
What I am saying though is that there are little changes that you can make gradually in your life and these two things are classic examples of this.
Just to remind you, they were: 1.
Practice focusing your thoughts.
While you're busy focusing 100% on one thing nothing else can get a look in.
2.
Try stepping back a bit from a problem and viewing it in a slightly different light.
Quite often the situation turns out to be nowhere near as bad as you first thought it was.
Remember...
you're in charge! You're in charge of your thoughts and you CAN control your reactions to those thoughts.
Yes, it will take practice and persistence but the rewards from doing this will be well worth making the effort.