For many people, anxiety can begin to feel like part of who they are.
“I’m just an anxious person.”
“I’ve always been a worrier.”
“This is how my mind works.”
“I’ll probably have to live with this forever.”
But what if you didn’t?
What if anxiety isn’t your identity? What if it isn’t your permanent state of mind? And what if, with the right approach, your brain and nervous system can learn that they no longer need to respond to certain situations with the same level of fear, worry or alarm?
That possibility can be incredibly empowering.
Anxiety is a normal response — but living in anxiety doesn’t have to be
Anxiety itself isn’t something that the human brain has invented to make our lives miserable. It’s part of our natural protective system.
When we perceive danger or threat, the brain can activate the body’s stress response. Hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol are released, preparing us to respond. In genuinely threatening situations, this response can be incredibly useful.
The problem is when that alarm system starts going off when we don’t actually need it to.
You might find yourself worrying constantly, expecting something to go wrong, avoiding situations, experiencing panic, feeling on edge, struggling to relax or constantly monitoring how you feel.
At that point, anxiety can stop being a useful response to a specific situation and start becoming a pattern.
And that’s an important distinction.
You are not your anxiety.
Anxiety is something you’re experiencing — not something that defines you.
Your brain can learn anxiety — and it can learn something different
One of the most encouraging things about anxiety is that our brains are capable of learning.
Sometimes an anxious response becomes associated with a particular situation, thought, sensation, memory or perceived threat. Eventually, the response can become almost automatic.
You may consciously know that you’re safe, while another part of your brain is still behaving as though you’re in danger.
This can be incredibly frustrating.
You can tell yourself:
“There’s nothing to worry about.”
“I’m safe.”
“I know this doesn’t make sense.”
And yet your body still reacts.
Your heart races.
Your stomach tightens.
Your thoughts speed up.
You feel compelled to escape, avoid or seek reassurance.
This is one reason why simply telling yourself to “stop worrying” isn’t always enough.
The response may have become deeply learned and automatic.
Working with the deeper response
This is where approaches that work with automatic emotional responses can be interesting.
Rather than focusing exclusively on consciously analysing every anxious thought, some therapeutic approaches aim to change the emotional associations and learned responses that sit underneath the conscious thought process.
This can include approaches such as hypnotherapy, Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) and BWRT.
EFT, for example, combines elements of exposure and cognitive techniques with acupressure/tapping. Research has found reductions in anxiety symptoms, although researchers also note that more high-quality research is needed before firm conclusions can be made about how effective it is compared with established treatments.
Hypnotherapy and other therapeutic approaches can similarly be used by practitioners who work with the automatic patterns associated with anxiety.
BWRT works directly with your reptilian complex, using totally natural brain processes, working far below the level of consciousness in the very area where the stimulus for anxiety is generated.
The important point isn’t that there is one magical therapy that works for everyone.
There isn’t.
It’s about finding an approach that helps you change the pattern rather than simply teaching you how to tolerate it forever.
Sometimes there may be a physical factor too
It’s also important not to assume that every experience of anxiety is purely psychological.
The NHS points out that persistent anxiety can sometimes be associated with underlying health conditions, which is one reason it’s important not to self-diagnose.
Physical factors, medications, hormonal changes and other health issues can sometimes contribute to symptoms that feel like anxiety.
Nutritional deficiencies may also be relevant in some circumstances, although it’s important to establish whether a deficiency is actually present rather than assuming that supplements are the answer.
If anxiety is new, severe, persistent or accompanied by unusual physical symptoms, speaking with your GP can be an important first step.
Mind and body are not separate systems.
Looking after one can sometimes mean looking at the other too.
You don’t have to become an anxious person
Perhaps the most important message is this:
Having anxiety doesn’t mean you have to identify as an anxious person.
You may have developed an anxious pattern.
You may have experienced something that taught your nervous system to become more vigilant.
You may have developed fears, avoidance behaviours or automatic responses that have been reinforced over time.
But a learned response isn’t necessarily a life sentence.
With appropriate support, people can learn new ways of responding.
And when that happens, something quite remarkable can occur.
The things you once avoided can become possible again.
The situations that once felt overwhelming can become manageable.
The constant background noise of worry can begin to quieten.
You can start making decisions based on what you want to do rather than what anxiety tells you that you shouldn’t do.
That is where overcoming anxiety becomes about much more than simply feeling less anxious.
It becomes about getting your freedom back.
Imagine what life could look like without anxiety making the decisions
Imagine waking up without immediately scanning your mind for something to worry about.
Imagine going somewhere without planning every possible thing that could go wrong.
Imagine feeling a physical sensation without immediately assuming something terrible is happening.
Imagine saying yes to something you would previously have avoided.
Imagine trusting yourself again.
That doesn’t mean you’ll never feel nervous, worried or frightened.
You’re human. Those emotions have a purpose.
The goal isn’t to become emotionless.
The goal is to have a choice.
To be able to experience anxiety when it is appropriate without being controlled by it when it isn’t.
Anxiety doesn’t have to define your future
If you’ve lived with anxiety for years, it can be difficult to imagine yourself any other way.
But your current experience doesn’t necessarily predict your future.
The brain is remarkably adaptable. Patterns can change. Responses can change. And the way we relate to fear can change.
Whether you explore hypnotherapy, EFT or BWRT the important thing is to find appropriate support and an approach that makes sense for you.
You don’t have to spend the rest of your life organising your world around anxiety.
Anxiety may be part of your experience right now. But it doesn’t have to be your identity, and it doesn’t have to make your decisions for you.
Sometimes the most empowering thought is also the simplest:
“This is something I experience. It isn’t who I am.”
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