{"id":1398,"date":"2020-05-30T07:52:48","date_gmt":"2020-05-30T12:52:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dontpanicdothis.com\/?p=1398"},"modified":"2023-02-18T01:58:53","modified_gmt":"2023-02-18T06:58:53","slug":"can-anxiety-go-away-on-its-own","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dontpanicdothis.com\/can-anxiety-go-away-on-its-own\/","title":{"rendered":"Can Anxiety Go Away on its Own?"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019re anything like I was when I first developed my anxiety disorder, you\u2019re likely obsessing over one important question… Can anxiety go away on its own?<\/p>\n

Anxiety is not likely to go away on its own. Anxiety is an emotion, much like sadness, anger, or happiness. Being an emotion, anxiety is something that one will likely experience, to some degree, throughout their entire life. Rather than trying to make anxiety \u201cgo away,\u201d the focus should be on management and reduction. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Now, I totally understand that at face value, this is probably not<\/em> the answer you were hoping for.<\/p>\n

But read on, and I think that by the end of this article your perspective on anxiety may shift radically.<\/p>\n

Does Anxiety Last Forever?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

First off, if you want to make your life a lot<\/em> easier, you need to change the way you\u2019re looking at anxiety.<\/p>\n

Anxiety in and of itself is not unhealthy, atypical, or \u201cbad.\u201d<\/p>\n

In fact, if you had absolutely NO anxiety, ever, this would likely constitute a far more serious mental health problem.<\/p>\n

Anxiety is an emotion, like any other: Sadness, Anger, Happiness, etc. So, learn to think of it this way.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Nobody likes feeling sad, angry, or jealous. If we could choose to never feel these emotions again, many of us would jump at the chance. But we all accept that these emotions are just an inevitable part of life.<\/p>\n

Anxiety works in exactly the same way. It is just like any other emotion.<\/p>\n

Some days we\u2019ll feel sadder. Other days we\u2019ll feel less sad. Some days we\u2019ll feel more anxious. Other days we\u2019ll feel less anxious.Sometimes we\u2019ll go many days without feeling sad at all.Sometimes we\u2019ll go many days without feeling anxious at all.<\/p>\n

Yet, on the days we feel less sad, we understand that we will occasionally have some sad days in our future.<\/p>\n

This<\/em> is how you need to view anxiety.<\/p>\n

Understand the reality that some days will be worse than others. Don\u2019t expect a good day to mean that you are now immune to ever feeling a negative emotion again. And, more importantly, don\u2019t view a bad day as a sign that you\u2019re going to feel this way forever.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Anxiety is a passing state that we should naturally expect to feel from time to time throughout the course of our lives.<\/p>\n

This does not mean that anxiety is something we need to constantly fear, avoid, or ruminate on.<\/p>\n

Your focus should, instead, be directed towards understanding, managing, and reducing your anxiety.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ll get to that later in the article.<\/p>\n

Is Anxiety Ever Good?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Anxiety probably won’t go away on it’s own, but having some degree of anxiety is totally normal.<\/p>\n

In fact, it would be concerning if you had never<\/em> experienced any anxiety at all.<\/p>\n

Just about every living animal has some sort of \u201cfight or flight\u201d anxiety mechanism in place to help it survive. This is basically a signal from the brain that tells us, something\u2019s not right here, I might be in danger.<\/em> From there, our brain shoots us with a nice little dose of adrenaline as a way to help us \u201cescape\u201d from whatever stressful situation we are in.<\/p>\n

The problem with this is, the 21st<\/sup> century is a much safer environment than the ones our ancestors evolved in while our brain structures were being formed. But our brains are still constantly scanning ourselves and our environment, always seeking the next threat.<\/p>\n

In people who suffer from higher levels of anxiety, our brain\u2019s \u201cthreat detection system\u201d is just a little more active. There may not be a lion in the bushes, but hey, come to think of it, my breathing does feel a little bit off\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

We need some anxiety to keep us safe.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Anxiety helps to provide us with that \u201cgut feeling\u201d that tells us something\u2019s not right. Sometimes this feeling is unwarranted, but other times it helps us to identify a real threat or problem in our lives.<\/strong><\/p>\n

With absolutely no anxiety, you would lack the foresight to even look both ways before crossing the street.<\/p>\n

This is just something to bear in mind; anxiety is not your enemy; it is your brain\u2019s threat detection system.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t obsess about shutting it off, just work towards fine-tuning it.<\/p>\n

In another article, we discuss in detail exactly what anxiety is and why we experience it<\/a><\/strong>. If you\u2019re curious to know more, I highly recommend giving it a read.<\/p>\n

The Difference Between Anxiety and Anxiety Disorders<\/strong><\/h2>\n

By now I\u2019ve probably drilled the idea into your head sufficiently, but I’ll say it again for good measure: some anxiety is normal.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

So, when is anxiety not<\/em> normal?<\/p>\n

What is the difference between anxiety and anxiety disorders? Where is the line drawn, exactly?<\/p>\n

Some anxiety is normal. Even a lot of anxiety is normal, occasionally. Important life events like going for a job interview, taking an important exam, or getting married, are all major events that can cause anxiety. Anxiety in these situations is so normal that it is almost universally expected in anyone.<\/p>\n

Anxiety starts to become an anxiety disorder when it becomes increasingly frequent, severe, or interferes with your day-to-day life. <\/strong><\/p>\n

For Example:<\/strong><\/p>\n