Anxiety is rough. The waters are murky, and panic attacks make you feel like you're in the middle of drowning. Believe me, I know the feeling.
So many times we are told to "just relax" or "just get over it." (Wouldn't it be nice if it were that easy??) We're told that it's all in our head, that we're being irrational, that there isn't anything to be anxious about.
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But we know something they don't seem to: We know that just letting go is often easier said than done.
So, to my fellow anxiety sufferers: I know how hard it is to push through when you feel like you can't breathe, and how rough riding out that storm is. I know it never really gets much easier no matter how often you've been through it, either.
But I also know that we are warriors. We are stronger than we give ourselves credit for, because we weather these storms consistently like champs.
Everyone deals with anxiety in different ways, with different triggers and in various degrees. There's no one-size-fits-all coping method, but many of these quotes have helped me with my struggles throughout the 16 years I've dealt with my anxiety disorder.
Some have simply made me think, some stick with me as constant reminders and some have become mantras I repeat over and over. Hopefully, you'll find at least one that sticks out to you or that helps you in your battle, too.
1. "The only way out is through."
2. "When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change." - Wayne Dyer
3. "Be gentle with yourself, you’re doing the best you can."
4. "Believe in yourself and all that you are. Know that there is something inside you that is greater than any obstacle." - Christian D. Larson
5. "Cast all you anxiety on Him because He cares for you." - 1 Peter 5:7
6. "Anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows, but only empties today of its strength." - Charles Spurgeon
7. "Our worst misfortunes never happen, and most miseries lie in anticipation." - Honore de Balzac
8. "One day at a time. One moment at a time."
9. "The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another." - William James
10. "Worry is a misuse of the imagination." - Dan Zadra
11. "Don’t lose yourself in your fear."
12. "You can do anything, but not everything."
13. "Never trust your fears, they don’t know your strength."
14. "You don’t have to control your thoughts. You just have to stop letting them control you." - Dan McMillan
15. "Stop being afraid of what could go wrong and start being excited about what could go right."
16. "Life is tough, but so are you."
17. "Rule your mind or it will rule you." - Buddha
Fight on my friends.
