Accept Yourself with Anxiety to Reduce Anxiety

If given a choice, would you rather accept yourself with your anxiety or kick anxiety to the curb and simply accept yourself? Silly question, right? The idea of immediately ridding ourselves of anxiety, is extremely appealing. But imagine for a moment what it would be like to embrace your anxiety. What if you could accept yourself with anxiety and still feel the anxiety lessen?

Anxiety, no matter what the specific anxiety disorder, can be difficult and distressing. It’s natural to want to ban it from our lives. It is absolutely possible to do so, and it’s a relief to be free of unhealthy anxiety. When exploring ways to reduce your anxiety, consider this irony: fighting anxiety actually intensifies it.

When we fight against anxiety, we inadvertently promote the belief that we’ll feel better, be better, once we've conquered anxiety--but not before. This puts pressure on us, makes us feel worse about ourselves, and it serves to increase anxiety. The implication is that we’re not good enough as we are right now. Accepting ourselves for who we are, anxiety (or other mental illness) and all, is crucial for well-being.

How to Accept Yourself with Anxiety

Self-acceptance involves embracing yourself completely, both your strengths and your limitations, including anxiety. Liking yourself means freeing your mind of negative thoughts and being kind to yourself.

Here’s what accepting yourself looks like:

Get rid of “should.”

It’s unrealistic and quite mean to tell yourself you should be able to handle a given situation without panic or that you shouldn't fear social situations or that you should be "normal." Instead, look for reasons why it actually is okay to be experiencing anxiety and what strengths you have to endure.

Avoid labeling yourself.

Labeling yourself as anxious or phobic or OCD, etc. only perpetuates the idea in your own mind. When you think of yourself with a label, your mind believes it. The more you believe in your anxiety, the stronger your anxiety grows. You certainly don’t have to deny that you are experiencing anxiety, but when you are kinder to yourself, when you accept your anxiety rather than judging yourself for it, you take away some of its power.

Accept yourself for who you are rather than comparing yourself to others.

It’s common for those of us living with anxiety to think we’re weak or not as good as others because of anxiety, but that’s a faulty belief. List your accomplishments and your strengths, and embrace them. What other people are able to do with or without anxiety in no way diminishes what you do.

Treat yourself with patience and respect as you work through anxiety.

When you need inspiration, keep in mind these confidence tips from mental health experts.

Remind yourself of this when you’re being hard on yourself and/or are struggling with anxiety: Anxiety isn't who you are. It’s something you’re experiencing. Accept these truths and accept yourself, and your anxiety is sure to diminish.