Anxiety is a bit like that nagging cold that just won’t go away. You picked it up from that weird guy on the bus and now it’s just sitting there lingering, looming in the shadows like some kind of serial killer who gets off on that sort of thing. (Damn that guy)
Now you lay awake, waiting for it to strike again, subjugated to its parasitic will. You’re tired, but you feel like you have tried everything wondering, “why do I still have anxiety?” So, you come to me in your hour of need, like the hero that you deserve but not the one you need right now.
And to that I say……you have made the right choice – my child.
“Now, let’s put a smile on that face.” – Theodore Joker

What did I do this time?
It’s a bit of a paradox
Back in my human days, I had anxiety with the best of them (or worst if you look at it that way) and probably the most difficult aspect to getting rid of anxiety has to do with its paradoxical nature.
Anxiety is a bit like looking in the mirror, and that person looking back at you is part of the problem. The truth is, whatever drives your anxiety emanates from one place – you.
I know, the reveal that you are actually your own worst enemy is worse than finding out your parents are secretly Santa Claus, but I know you can handle it. Right?
Although it doesn’t feel like it, you have total autonomy over the way you feel. The only problem is…how do you get rid of an enemy when that enemy is also you?
Simple! You pluck it, you extricate that demon lodged firmly in your butt-hole and move on.
All butt-holes aside, it sounds you got some work to do.

752, 752, 752, 752
You still have anxiety because, you haven’t changed anything
Some people think anxiety is something that will just simply go away with time, that if you close your eyes and squint just right you can wish it away – kind of like your high school bully, or your virginity. Unfortunately, quite the opposite is true and before long you have dug yourself a hole so deep that only MacGyver can wring you out.
Getting out of the hole is one of the most difficult things to do, especially because digging is so very easy. Now you have a mountain-sized problem, and although there “aint no mountain high enough,” it’s still a long way to climb back to yourself.

Rawr, I’m the ugliest Godzilla ever created.
Maybe you don’t fully believe you can get rid of it
Mentality is a huge aspect to anxiety, and one of the first battles is fully believing that you can actually get rid of it. If you believe it’s an insurmountable pile of poop or some unstoppable beast like Godzilla then things might become unreasonably difficult – and buildings may get smashed.
If you need an account of other humans getting rid of anxiety, go ahead and check out my previous post on how I cured my anxiety. It’s sure to help…. or at the very least its good for a laugh.

I’m not wearing hockey pads
Face your anxiety head on.
Remember Batman? Well, he taught me a lot about anxiety. As you should know by now, his biggest fear was bats. In order for him to get over his fear he literally became the personification of it and donned the bat suit. Now, I’m not saying you need to become your own version of batman – ok, on second thought that does sound pretty awesome. So yes, I guess I am saying become your own version of batman, you might just happen upon saving the world too, so that’s nice.

Tonight, we dine….on your anxiety.
You haven’t waged war on it yet
When you go to war against your anxiety, you actually take back a bit of yourself. I say war, because this part is not easy. Then again, it’s not meant to be.
The person you were before all of this, before all of the anxiety and weakness is trapped in a tenebrous room with all of the other things that go “bump” in the night. All I’m asking you to do is to reach into that broom closet and pull out the rest of yourself. I know its terrifying, but don’t pout. When you reclaim yourself, you not only can breathe again but you actually become more powerful than ever before.

Let me shoulder the load
You’re still trying to take on too much (Like Frodo)
Anxiety can leave you feeling hopelessly alone. But the truth is, everyone has someone who is trying to help them shoulder the load. I call these people “Sams.”
A Sam is a righteous individual who stands by you through thick and thin, through orcs, walking trees and giant spiders and even when you turn on them. I urge you, if you have a Sam, please recognize this person and let them in. They might be a parent, a best friend, hell – they might even be me.
If it is me, then lord have mercy on your soul.
You have gotten used to it
Society gently corrals you into accepting your current circumstance. Financially, career-wise and even life in general. A lot of us are merely surviving, not living. The same can be said for anxiety. Even my very benign case of general anxiety led to a therapist prescribing medication for it. (Which I didn’t take.)
Anxiety is a tug of war played on the highest stakes and if you want to win and get rid of it forever, don’t settle for coping with it. Change your mentality, change your habits, beat it…. you don’t have to accept this as your reality.

I’m going to turn you into a serial killer yet, Will.
Because you haven’t discovered the root cause of your anxiety yet
When a weed pops up in your garden you don’t simply rip the weed from the garden. No, you get your hands dirty, stick them deep inside the soil and muck, get that sucker by the roots and then stare over its barren spot for a while to make sure it’s really gone. Anxiety is a lot like that. If you don’t know what causing your anxiety in the first place, how are you even supposed to get rid of it?
Talk to a therapist, get to the bottom of this thing and get it by the roots.
Totally unrelated life hack: If your up for it, try gardening sometime, it’s actually really relaxing.
You haven’t tried everything…
Have an open mind people, if you still have anxiety after all these years, what’s the harm in trying something new? Yoga and meditation are amazing, not only is yoga great exercise (for women and men) Yoga has an added spiritual factor to it and it can help clear your mind. Aside from Yoga, try other things, read Eat Pray Love, try eating those anti-anxiety foods, give mindfulness a shot, read my blog, do some gardening, read my blog again, get closer to Jesus and…well – read my blog.
I know, you will get through this, because this thing isnt bigger than you are. You are a Lion/ Lioness and you will roar again. <3
As always, comment, subscribe, follow, reblog, send praises of absolution my way and more.
Some great insight here. I’m a big proponent of meditation for understanding what thoughts are causing our anxiety. Therapy of course is also a good method, and CBT is usually covered by insurance companies. I will keep reading your blog! 🙂
Thanks for reading and for leaving a great comment 🙂
I agree with the CBT..
I love meditation because it brings about a peace of mind. But I am not a big fan of my experiences of CBT. I like DBT and ACT better because they are more about allowing yourself to feel the anxiety, but learn how to deal with it differently. And they focus on values and having a “life worth living.” For example, by allowing yourself to feel the anxiety, and then decide how to respond gives the anxiety less power. And another way is by looking at thoughts as only being words. I am trying to do this more often. And then I decide if the thoughts are helpful or not. This allows for freedom to move a little bit more. Not that any of this is easy…
Very interesting. I think it matters to find the right kind of therapy and or practices that work for us. I truly appreciate you writing about your experiences.
Classical music. Listening while Lion down on the bed, in the dark, warm room, closed eyes. An hour a day, some days max. two.
Love this <3
Love this! funny but at the same time informative! Thank you for sharing and your great tips!
Thank you 🙂
You had to bring virginity to the table…….
You know me 😉 haha, it just came to mind as I was writing hahaha.
I’m no3.
There are days when I believe it will never leave me alone but I always take deep breaths whenever I feel like I’m not calm.
Kelle – http://www.itskellesspace.com
Thanks for your insight Kelle 🙂 I know you will beat it. <3
Deep breathing is an awesome coping skill. Sometimes I find that I just have to ride the wave and keep on breathing! Remembering that this feeling will not last forever helps too.
You know how to make the topic interesting to read.. 👌
I totally agree with the mentality aspect. When people reassure me that there’s no reason why I need to feel anxious, I flip it and think “There’s no reason why I shouldn’t feel anxious!” Pesky brain.
Great stuff Leo, the way you write makes me want to be more honest in my own work! Gives me motivation haha
Thats a huge compliment Josh. Thanks man.
I am just putting this out there…anxiety isn’t “bad.” It gives us information. It can however, give us false information because our brains are still wired to act in a primal way. Our “lizard brain” sends us signals and in today’s society, they are not always what is needed. The really hard trick is to figure out which one it is.
Very true, our body naturally gives us signals that tells us we are doing the wrong things and are not in alignment.
Exercise is the best remedy for anxiety, just got back from the gym. Feel great.
The gym is the best. I always feel great after hitting the weights.
I hear ya!
Enjoyed your post so much that I finished a blog about anxiety and stress with a link to yours!
Thanks! Thats so awesome, ill have to read it.
Can I just say how much I freaking love your posts? I love the sarcasm, but seriousness at the same time. You use just the perfect mix to get your readers reading and waiting for your next post. I suffer from anxiety and depression as well and have found that exercise, yoga and meditation are definitely the best remedies for me, for now. It used to be writing in a journal, but then I found I just let wallow too much, write and re-read my journal entries. We are not victims of anxiety, we are survivors! And once we get that through all the crazy thoughts swirling around our brains, it does make us feel more powerful than ever!
Thank you so much for your awesome comment! Yeah, we give anxiety far to much power in our minds, so once we take back and reclaim control we truly see anxiety for what it truly is, a coward.
Great article that really helps to distill anxiety down to its core. Also, thank you for reading and liking my recent post “Being Mindful in 500 Square Feet!”
Great article that helps to distill anxiety down to its core, with a great shout-out to yoga and mediation. Also, thank you for reading and liking my most recent post “Being Mindful in 500 Square Feet”
Thanks Matthew :). I enjoyed your post as well.
Well penned👍❤
🙂
I too cured my own anxiety. And it was so simple I cannot believe it took me 17 years and more therapists than I can count with all of my fingers and toes. Anxiety can absolutely be conquered and it makes me extremely sad that therapists and psychiatrists string people along for years. Please check out my blog to see how I cured MY anxiety.
Yeah, its scary to think that people have to rely on drugs to function. I know some people need to take them for serious imbalances but for non severe cases it’s unnecessary and prolongs it.
I’ll check out your post as well
Had to do a double take when Batman winked at me!!.. Some good advice .
This is such a great post. You’re hilarious and dead on. I think for me the biggest shift occurred when I stopped identifying with or as my circumstances. “I am anxious” and “I have anxiety” are very different. Same for “I am depressed” and “I have depression”. These states are always transient, and when you allow yourself to be the observer of the state versus the state itself, you find space to problem solve.
I think the biggest thing is not using “coping skills” only when you need to cope. It will seem foreign and less powerful if these are not daily habits/routines/whatever.
Also, I am Batman. Hahahahahhaha seriously though, thanks. I love reading these types of perspectives. I get so tired of so much non-empowering stuff out there.
Thanks so much. I love the clarity you have about it. The I am anxious vs claiming anxiety. That is very very powerful.
I really despise the way society paints anxiety as this unbreakable undefeatable entity, especially when I know it can and has been defeated, so you will never read a negative post about it on this page.
I agree and thank you as you inspired a post for me. Would you mind if I link this article within the post? I like to ask the first time, at least. I am always looking for relevant other bloggers to link within my posts (which you inspired/reminded me I did it on my old blog) 😉 Loving your blog sir!
Of course you can 🙂 thanks for reading and leaving such an awesome comment. <3
Such cute, and informative posts! Very entertaining, and also fun 🙂 Thank you, Leo Lion <3
😉 thanks Tamara 🙂
I believe it has to be attacked head-on with every resource available … as you say, yoga, therapy, mindfulness, exercise is the big one for me … I can take my frustrations out on a tennis ball! Great post and you’ve got a follower in me! Katie
Awesome Katie! Thanks for the comment. Hopefully you enjoy some of my content. 🙂
I know I will 👍
I’ll check into this form of antianxiety
Love this post! Thank you for sharing. Experienced anxiety for a while up until I took it head on at the beginning of last year! I use so many methods you mention here – yoga, meditation, eating right! It can be beaten!
Great blog post about tips for anxiety. Loved it. Thanks so much ❤️
🙂 hope it helps ❤
Yes great help. I dont have anxiety anymore. But I can so relate to what you write about ❤️ I have found my way out of anxiety and depression. Thanks again.
That’s fantastic! I always tell people it’s possible. It’s do wonderful that you are free! 🙂
[…] here for “how I cured my anxiety“, here for “9 reasons you still have anxiety” and here for “5 reasons having a general anxiety disorder could be a good […]
Hello Leo, and thank you for dropping by! This is a great post (love your sense of humour) and you tackle (head-on of course xD) some unquestionable truths about anxiety. The fact that it is indeed paradoxical is so easy to forget when you’re in the thick of it and can’t see past your own nose. It’s SO important to just get out of your own head and reconnect with the world around you…even more so when you’re having one of those super introspective days. Also things like meditation, yoga, and exercise can really make a huge difference, they certainly did for me – a lot more than any pill, which can help with the symptoms but will never tackle the root cause. I look forward to reading more of your Batman-inspired writing!
[…] burden alone and tell someone (You are not Goku, you cannot lift the world on your shoulders.) In a previous post I mention how everyone has someone in their life who desperately wants to help them, but you […]