I’ve gone through periods of life where dealing with ruminating anxiety was paralyzing. There were days when I felt like I had no control over my own thoughts, feeling lost in a tight grip of fear and worry. It seemed like whenever I would focus on one issue, another would quickly come to take its place.
I fought against this anxious state for a long time until I realized that I was never going to be able to get rid of it completely. So, instead, I had to learn how to manage it and make room for it in my life.
To start off, I identified which events triggered my anxiety and thought about what practices worked best for me during those moments - deep breathing meditation, talking with loved ones or friends, exercising outdoors, or just simply taking a break from whatever activity was taking place. Whatever the case may have been, those moments where intrusive thinking started creeping in again became more manageable after implementing certain techniques that worked for me.
One of the hardest aspects of dealing with ruminating anxiety is acceptance. It’s so difficult when you respond negatively to your own emotions without recognizing that these feelings eventually will pass (even though it might not always feel like it). But after learning how to respond differently by allowing myself more space and patience with personal growth has made such a huge difference in my journey as an anxious person. Through this process of understanding and managing my anxiety day by day has taught me that the most important part is learning how to live before learning how to heal.