[CosmicRose]

Is anxiety something you can just "snap out of"? Like, is it more mind over matter? For example, whenever I talk to my friends or family about my "anxiety problem" they say "Everyone has anxiety, just get over it." my sister says "Just stop it." and my dad says "Grow up." or "It's time to grow up." They mean well, and they also have had anxiety issues in their past and probably still do, but somehow they manage and rarely ever bring it up themselves.
So I'm just wondering, is anxiety something that we basically blow out of proportion and sell ourselves into the idea of having an anxiety disorder. Is it something that can just be snapped out of and get over it and as my dad puts it, "grow up"?
Some people think anxiety is like a crutch, and just imagining how blissful life could be without an anxiety problem really makes a world of a difference.
But is it really possible to just "get over it" and move on, and not give so much thought to anxiety or not put so much emotional stock into anxiety? I'm trying to understand how other people just have no issues with anxiety, when it has been such a hurdle for me in the past.
Do they just not think about it? Do they have bigger things to worry about and anxiety isn't one of them? Do they just go about their lives not even thinking about anxiety? Can people with anxiety just snap out of it and stop it?

[Little Lulu]

This is an excellent question and I am glad you brought it up. Here is my take on it and the answer for me is 'yes' and 'no'. Once an anxious episode begins for me, snapping out of it quickly just isn't possible although I have learned some ways to make it dissipate quicker than it used to. However, being overly invested in owning the label of 'anxiety' or 'anxiety disorder' doesn't help either - I am so much more than someone who gets anxious and I don't want to lose sight of that.

In relation to your family's response to your anxiety, I leaned too heavily on my family years ago when my anxiety was not well-controlled and I learned that even the people who love me don't want to hear my issues on a regular basis. They want the best for me and they want me to be happy and healthy. So for me part of 'growing up', as your family puts it, was sucking it up sometimes, getting counseling where I could vent in a place that didn't upset others, and doing the work to overcome the anxiety issue as best I could.

[vital]

Originally Posted by CosmicRose

Is anxiety something you can just "snap out of"? Like, is it more mind over matter? For example, whenever I talk to my friends or family about my "anxiety problem" they say "Everyone has anxiety, just get over it." my sister says "Just stop it." and my dad says "Grow up." or "It's time to grow up." They mean well, and they also have had anxiety issues in their past and probably still do, but somehow they manage and rarely ever bring it up themselves.
So I'm just wondering, is anxiety something that we basically blow out of proportion and sell ourselves into the idea of having an anxiety disorder. Is it something that can just be snapped out of and get over it and as my dad puts it, "grow up"?
Some people think anxiety is like a crutch, and just imagining how blissful life could be without an anxiety problem really makes a world of a difference.
But is it really possible to just "get over it" and move on, and not give so much thought to anxiety or not put so much emotional stock into anxiety? I'm trying to understand how other people just have no issues with anxiety, when it has been such a hurdle for me in the past.
Do they just not think about it? Do they have bigger things to worry about and anxiety isn't one of them? Do they just go about their lives not even thinking about anxiety? Can people with anxiety just snap out of it and stop it?

One of the main things that people say about anxiety and depression is that telling someone who suffers this way to "just snap out of it" is just an unhelpful, unkind, statement from a naive person who doesn't understand the profound depths of suffering involved in having anxiety or being depressed.

On the other hand, I think that maybe you can sense that there is, after all, a grain of truth in there. In fact, it is exactly the grain of truth in there that make the statement insulting. Still, in a very, very literal, very, very simple sense, when people boldly snap their fingers, they are not actually feeling anxious or depressed in that moment. I've collected all of the images I could find of people snapping their fingers from google, taking all images whatever the mood of the person seemed to be. Have a look

SNAP CLUB

and see if you can find an anxious or depressed face. This may seem like a trivial superficiality, but I think it is actually quite remarkable and it is an important clue. These people are not just physically doing something, something is happening mentally. The essential thing is that they are DECIDING something in that moment. It is the ability to do this - the ability to contact with your inner self and decide what is going to happen that is unconsciously lost when you are anxious or depressed. This, I believe, it the core of depression and anxiety and the key to escape. I explain more about this here and what I think you should try if you're anxious or depressed "SNAP CLUB":

http://forums.psychcentral.com/depre...n-escaped.html

It's just my opinion, but I really think I'm right about this and it certainly worked for me in a very powerful way and seems to do something for others too.

Post SNAP CLUB, I don't actually feel anxiety as a persistent thing anymore. I will occasionally think of something or something will happen that causes me to be afraid. This feels quite different to me than it used to. It's actually more intense and sharper than it used to be. It's like an unpleasant feeling that comes with a rapid energizing charge. I usually SNAP and decide to not continue thinking or feeling whatever it is. If the thing has a lot of emotional content, I might have to SNAP two or three times. The emotional content will then be gone, but I will still feel energized physically as that takes a while to dissipate. In a way, what's different is that I still occasionally feel fear, but I am no longer afraid of being afraid. My fear no longer feeds on itself.

- vital