Just randomly opened my bible...landed on this page “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.” Isaiah 41:10

If you consciously do things to avoid anxiety you will undoubtedly experience more anxiety. Avoiding anxiety isn't recovery, it's the root cause of your illness. Learning to not fear what we feel and to allow ourselves to see anxiety's harmlessness: That's recovery. #anxiety

You will never find happiness through the acceptance of others, you will only find it within yourself, when you do you won't care what others think

The key turning point in your journey to recovery will be the realization that thoughts aren’t reality. This allows you to lose your fear of/change your reaction to them. Fearful reactions are the underlying cause of anxiety disorders. Stop fearing your imagination. #anxiety

The irony of recovery is that the critical skill you need to learn is the ability to willingly feel anxiety. Your constant effort to suppress it, run from it, etc. is what is perpetuating it. What you are doing isn’t working. Understand how the body works and change. #anxiety

The amygdala is responsible for the fight/flight response. It operates off memory. When you avoid a situation it remembers. However, when you face a situation and nothing bad happens it also remembers. Changing habits changes memories which changes/heals the brain. #anxiety

Anxiety disorders involve getting caught up in/scared by our imaginations. When the brain imagines something and we react, we validate what we imagined as being real. This starts the "anxiety cycle". Learning to lose fear of what we imagine is key to recovery. #anxiety

It's one thing to say you're not afraid. However, it's critical to BEHAVE like you're not afraid. If you tell yourself you're not afraid but still engage in compulsions in certain situations the body won't believe you. Behavioral change is the foundation of recovery. #anxiety

My health anxiety fears: 1) Losing my mind 2) Heart attack/Heart stopping 3) Stroke 4) Unconsciousness Of course, none of these happened. My brain was so sensitized that it interpreted the symptoms of sensitization as deadly. I was afraid of feelings caused by fear. #anxiety

Recovery is about allowing ourselves to recognize, then move out of what I call “autopilot” thinking. This is the almost unconscious, habitual cycle of reacting to our thoughts and then altering our behaviors accordingly. Learn to spectate instead of participate. #anxiety

Allowing thoughts to flow really isn’t a foreign concept. It’s something you do thousands of times a day. The problem is you’ve attached meaning to a few thoughts causing them to be stuck. You’ve interrupted their natural flow. Thoughts are made to pass. Let them. #anxiety

The brain recognizes anything (including thoughts) you fight or run away from as a threat. This leads to anxiety. Conversely, the brain sees the things you face, allow, and accept as non-threatening. This leads to calm. Behaviors, not situations, cause anxiety. #anxiety

The defense centers of our brain aren’t designed to be reasoned with. They don’t have time for logic. They understand one thing: Reactions of the mind. Struggle/avoid and there will be anxiety. Allow and eventually it ceases to see a threat. Fighting is futile. #anxiety

Uncomfortable thoughts don’t exist. There are only uncomfortable reactions. We try in vain to argue/reason with meaningless impulses of the brain that we suffer more than if we let them pass naturally. You’ll never win an argument with your brain. Try a new approach. #anxiety

Key point: Anxiety isn’t a result of thoughts, it’s a result of how we react to those thoughts. This reaction leads to sensitization which leads to more thoughts and the cycle continues. “Crazy” thoughts aren’t the problem. Labeling them as “crazy” is. #anxiety

A choice I had to make: Gradually I saw there was a gulf between what my brain thought was real versus what was actually real. Do I keep listening to my untrustworthy brain? Or do I learn to ignore it and teach it new ways of thought? Only one path lead to healing. #anxiety

A key element of recovery is repetition: 1) Understanding that repetitive symptoms are only anxiety and not something worse 2) Repetitively allowing these symptoms so you can see them for what they are (harmless) Discipline & repetition are ingredients for success. #anxiety

When sensitized the brain shifts energy toward the irrational, emotional parts of the brain. This is one reason you have intrusive thoughts. If you pay attention you can sense when this shift happens and see it for what it is. You can’t reason with it. Allow it. #anxiety

Important to remember: The small # of people with COVID who die/have severe illness will dominate news coverage. You won't see the people who got sick & recovered. This is real. However, news outlets focus on fear because it drives ratings. Keep perspective. #anxiety #COVID19

BOOM!!!!!!

For most of us, the COVID-19 crisis poses a greater threat to our mental health than physical health. Constant images of death/suffering will sensitize the body if allowed. We must protect our vulnerable/act responsibly but this doesn't have to ruin our mental health. #anxiety