Overcome Anxiety: 7 Mindful Ways To Make Life Good Again

The open secret to transforming a life of anxiety and panic into a life of peace and contentment begins with being more mindful and aware. The attitude we take towards our situation makes a huge difference in the outcome we experience. We’re simply fooling ourselves if we don’t recognize just how important our attitude is.

Our attitudes are like magnets, drawing to us in like kind. You’ve heard the saying: garbage in, garbage out. If we wish to make life good again, we must stop battling against our present situation. The simple fact is any time we go to war with ourselves we lose.

By the end of this article, it is my hope that you see the immense value of looking at how certain attitudes keep you stuck in the anxiety you don’t want. In addition, we’ll identify seven key attitudes that lead you towards what you want – to overcome anxiety in all its forms.

In the end, it’s about transforming unconscious habits that hurt into conscious habits that heal.

Let’s jump right in: Here are the 7 Mindful Ways To Make Life Good Again…

1. Accept Your Present Situation In Order To Transcend It

This must be the foundation where your complete recovery is built upon. Acceptance is the building block of any worthy endeavor – and what can be more important than the goal of mental and emotional wellbeing?

If we don’t energetically accept where we actually are, we just add more negative energy to where we’re headed. Admittedly, it isn’t easy at first to accept what we don’t really want, especially since we’ve been conditioned to resist what we don’t want.

However, if we see that what we resist persists, we can choose to work in harmony with the law of our experience and allow it to be as it is. Acceptance of what presently is, at the same time having your eye on the end goal, really does lead to being FREE.

Accept and be free, or reject and be imprisoned. It’s your choice.

2. Seek The Proper Support Without Embarrassment, Guilt, Or Shame

Some people think that asking for help is a sign of weakness. In actuality, it is the complete opposite. It takes a person with real humility to be wise enough to ask for help. It takes a person with real humility to recognize everyone experiences challenges in their lives; it’s what you do with those challenges that makes the difference.

So give someone you trust the gift of the opportunity to support you. If you find it difficult to shake off the feelings of shame or embarrassment, seek support anyway. They’re merely thoughts that stand in the way of your recovery. If you wait until you feel comfortable asking for support, you may wait forever.

Worrying about what others think of you can only make you feel more insecure. Besides, one day you will be in a position of strength and wellbeing and you can return the favor. No man is an island; we are here for each other, aren’t we?

Be strong and seek the support you need.

3. Lighten Up And See The Humor In Your Situation

How many times can we recall laughing at something we first thought wasn’t funny? What did it do to your feelings about it? Didn’t it take away most of (if not all of) its power over you?

If you take a closer look, you can always find something funny in a not-so funny situation. It’s much like finding the silver lining in any situation – it is there if you look for it. This doesn’t mean to take your situation lightly, but it does mean to find the light in your situation.

Laughter has a real way of greatly diminishing the hold anxiety has on you. If you can’t find the humor in your situation, watch a funny movie, read a funny book or listen to your favorite comic. Consider hanging out with people who are lighter than you, but make sure those people genuinely care about you.

4. Remain in Wonder, Curious And Open

When we make limiting assumptions or half-empty conclusions about our chances of recovery, we essentially close the door on the ability to see our situation as it really is. We close the door on our capacity to recognize we are much more than the temporary condition we have.

Wonder and curiosity have such a neutralizing and calming effect on our emotional state. When we aren’t drawing conclusions about how ‘hopeless’ our situation is, or thinking about ‘all the hard work it will take’ to overcome anxiety, we are ready and open to receiving the healing we really desire.

It’s just not possible to say enough about remaining in wonder, curiosity and openness AS you look in the direction of living a contented, full life. It’s yours for the taking. You can’t make yourself heal, but you can allow yourself to heal.

5. Asking The Right Questions Reveals The Right Answers

In any moment we’re either facing the direction of our cure or facing more anxiety and fear. Asking questions like, ‘Why am I so weak?’ or ‘Why is this happening to me?’ only serves to bring you down, keeping you stuck in what you don’t want. It’s like walking into quicksand when you could have avoided it by walking on solid ground.

Asking questions like, ‘What specific things must I avoid in order to get better?’ and ‘How can I make today the best day possible?’ are two great questions that have you looking in the right direction.

‘What do I find humorous in my situation?’ and ‘What am I grateful for that I normally take for granted?’ are questions that empower and focus our attention towards the direction of our cure.

Asking the right kinds of questions has a re-orienting effect. If we find ourselves wallowing in self-doubt, or excessive worry and concern, we can ask an inspiring question to quickly shift our attention and energy.

6. Focus On What You Want, Not On What You Don’t Want

When we unconsciously focus on what we don’t want, we get more of what we don’t want. It’s a very simple and consistent principle, never taking sides or playing favorites. Anxiety and phobia sufferers have a tendency to focus on the negative to the extreme – and then wonder why they can’t seem to get away from all that negativity.

If an archer wants his arrow to land right smack in the middle of the bulls-eye, then he will surely block out everything else and aim for the center of the bulls-eye. This is no different. We must be mindful of where our energy and attention is being placed because we’ll surely get what we focus on.

We must be aware enough to consciously shift our focus and attention on what we want, not on what we don’t want. Sure as night follows day, when you focus on what you don’t want, you get more of what you don’t want. Focus on what you want.

7. An Attitude Of Gratitude

No doubt you’ve heard or read that the key to living a fulfilled life lies in being grateful. And frankly, it can get annoying, especially when your life doesn’t feel like something to be grateful for. What do you mean ‘be grateful?’ How can I be grateful when I feel like I’m losing my mind?

How can I be grateful when I can’t even muster the courage put aside my fears and concerns to leave my home just to go food shopping? Gratitude is for those that already have a good life, and for those that already feel satisfied and content, right? Wrong.

Focusing on all that is wrong or missing in your life is a great recipe for staying stuck in a life you don’t want. Shifting your attention towards all that you’re grateful for empowers you to take the steps towards complete recovery. If you find this difficult, you can start being grateful for just being alive!

In Conclusion

If we spend the majority of our day allowing negative thoughts and perceptions to dictate our experience, we won’t overcome anxiety so easy. Fortunately, we have the capacity to instantly shift our focus from the negative to the positive whenever we find ourselves wallowing in the victim mentality.

Overcoming anxiety, panic attacks, social phobia, agoraphobia and OCD doesn’t have to be a long, drawn-out and painful process. It can be a fairly short period in your life – and you can have it in your rearview mirror sooner than later, if you consciously adopt the attitudes that lead to recovery.