I’ve recently started a book called ‘The Happiness Trap’ and it’s the best book I’ve ever read for anxiety. I have struggled with anxiety and panic attacks since I was a child. I’ve been affected by it on and off over the years. I’ll go months and months feeling great and in control and then something will trigger panic, and I will live in a state of fear and anxiety for months after that. The Happiness Trap teaches a therapy called ‘Committment and Acceptance Therapy.’ It’s about acknowledging your thoughts, not trying to run from them or push them away.

A simple technique it teaches (that has helped me a lot!) is saying ‘I notice I’m having the thought that…’ Instead of ‘I’m feeling so anxious and scared’ say ‘I notice I’m having the thought that I’m feeling anxious and scared.’ Too often we view our thoughts as absolute truth, but they really aren’t. I can think, ‘Pink elephants are real’ but it doesn’t make it true. Our thoughts are just words. Once we acknowledge them as just words, they lose a lot of their power, and aren’t so scary. This technique works with lots of other things in life, too.

Just know you aren’t alone in this struggle. It makes me feel better to know I’m not the only one.