What people with anxiety think and don’t say (outloud).

Imagine hearing people talking. You hear a voice say, “Are they talking about me? Are they going to start something?”

You hear people fighting and shouting. The voice says, “Are they going to come looking for me?”

You see a message from your boss. “Oh crap, now what? Am I getting fired? Oh crap I am. #$%&! I’m never going to get another job. I wouldn’t be able to pay my bills…”

To someone who doesn’t have anxiety, these thoughts could sound a bit, egotistical. To an anxious person, these are common thoughts and they are coming from in our own head.

To deal with these thoughts and anxiety, there’s always talking to a friend or a therapist and medication.

Is it true?

In The Work of Byron Katie, one of the questions she wants us to ask ourselves is: Is it true? (I have asked my anxiety this question many times. While acknowledging these scenarios are possible, they usually don’t turn out the terrible way we think it will.) Which helps to calm my anxiety before it turns into full on panic.

In reality, the people on the street kept walking until out of your hear shot. The people fighting have stopped. And your boss had a task for you.

Why don’t those of us with anxiety, we don’t say this stuff out loud? Because we wonder if our stuff will trigger yours.

What has helped you deal with your anxiety? Is it therapy or medication? Let me know in the comment section below. Absolutely no judgment. By all means do what works best for you.