We have a constant stream of self-talk happening, and it tends to be mostly of the negative variety, and things that make our anxiety worse. We are simply going to go round and round in circles, trying unsuccessfully to reason our way out of the anxiety state.
Two of the changes we need to make to our mindset and thinking about anxiety are honesty and self-acceptance / kindness. Here are some of the things I said to myself:
Being honest with myself
I struggle with anxiety
I am having a hard time
I do this to myself
I am struggling to face my symptoms
I'm struggling to accept
I feel I may never be able to get past this, but I know that it’s just a feeling
Being kind to myself
You did the best you could
You made a mistake. It happens
You're not perfect (Nobody is. So, you are just like everyone else)
You don't need to be perfect. Just have good intentions, and do the best you can.
It's OK to be ________ (e.g. anxious, vulnerable, angry, sad, frustrated, lonely, in despair etc.)
It’s OK to show your feelings
To clear a path to recovery, it’s important to build and strengthen the right inner voices of Truth and Acceptance. I explain this on my website on this page: https://itsonlyanxiety.com/acceptance-method/inner-voices-of-truth-acceptance/
Without the Voice of Truth, we won’t recognize and do the things necessary to recover. Without the Voice of Acceptance, we will sabotage any progress we make.
Carl