It’ll Be Really Hard for You to Overcome Agoraphobia, Anxiety, and Panic Disorder If…
Sometimes the anxiety recovery journey is hard because you're doing things without even realizing that you're doing them. And the things you're doing, unfortunately, work against you and make anxiety recovery harder than it needs to be. Maybe you know some of what you're doing, but you don't know how to make healthy changes! So in this episode, I'm going to share five unhelpful behaviors that might prevent you from overcoming agoraphobia, anxiety, and panic disorder. And don't worry, I'm going to share what you can do to change these behaviors, too!
5 Behaviors That Make It Difficult To Overcome Agoraphobia, Anxiety, and Panic Disorder
1. You're Not Letting Yourself Feel Anxious
Just because you struggle with an anxiety disorder doesn’t mean you can’t ever feel anxious! Feeling anxious is a normal part of life. It even makes sense to feel anxious when you're doing uncomfortable things! So I want you to start giving yourself permission to feel anxious without it meaning anything. Because in reality, it doesn't mean anything about you or your capabilities. And when you actually allow yourself to feel anxious (and be human!), you'll start to notice that this allowance makes the anxious thoughts and feelings pass with much more ease.
2. You’re Only Focusing on Healing Your Relationship With Anxiety
Don't get me wrong... focusing on your relationship with anxiety is super important! But it's not the only important thing. Healing your relationship with yourself might be just as valuable! For so many of us with anxiety, we might start to think that we can't trust our own body or mind because of the uncomfortable symptoms. And when we take the time to heal this relationship and establish trust with ourselves again, our relationship with anxiety will start to heal, too!
3. You’re Always Trying To Look Like You Have It Together
It's only natural to want to appear as though you're not struggling! For so many, it might be easier to pretend nothing is wrong than to allow people to see what is going on inside. And this makes sense because it can be really tough to be vulnerable! But the reality is that the important people in your life will support you, and they want you to be open with them. This expectation to look like we have it all together usually comes from within ourselves and how we think other people might look at us. But in reality, the people who matter won't care that you don't get everything perfect! So I want to encourage you to be open with the people who you trust.
4. You’re Sitting In Indecision Rather Than Taking Action
One of the most uncomfortable places to be in is that place of indecision or inaction. And when we allow ourselves to sit there, it tends to make anxiety feel worse. If you find yourself sitting in indecision, I want you to know that I've been there! And it can feel really scary. If this is you, I want you to know that you don't need to take the big steps to heal. Start with consistent, small steps, and you'll get to see just how capable you are! Allow yourself to take a step (right or wrong!) without having certainty. Taking the steps will allow you to heal!
5. You’re Only Focused On The End Goal of No Longer Struggling With Anxiety
I know that you really want to recover and that you want to heal. But you have to stop making everything about getting to the point where you no longer struggle with anxiety! And don't get me wrong, I really struggled with this one too. But if you want to overcome agoraphobia, anxiety, and panic disorder, you have to stop forcing recover to look the way you want to. The more we try to force, the harder it makes things. If you focus on healthy action and the small steps, healing starts to happen a whole lot faster!
As much as you want to overcome agoraphobia and anxiety right now, I want you to remember this: you really have to slow down and give your attention to the right now. To the small steps that you're taking today, in the present moment, and not be focused on that end result. If you're only focused on the outcome, you're not living! You deserve to live your life while recovering from anxiety, panic, and agoraphobia, my friend.
Tune in and listen to the full episode for all the goodness!
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