This One Mindset Shift Eased Over 5 Years of Anxiety

I used to believe every anxious thought was a warning. Then one sentence changed how I saw everything.

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I lived with anxiety for what felt like forever.

Not the occasional nervousness before a meeting or a presentation. I’m talking about the kind of anxiety that wakes you up in the middle of the night for no reason. The kind that sits in your chest like a rock, tightens your throat, and whispers, “Something’s wrong — you just haven’t figured out what yet.”

I got really good at hiding it.
From friends. From family. From myself, sometimes.
I smiled at the right times. I went to work. I functioned.

But inside, I was exhausted.

I tried all the things — journaling, breathing techniques, gratitude lists. I even downloaded about seven different meditation apps and forced myself to just be calm. Spoiler alert: that doesn’t work when your brain is convinced you’re in danger 24/7.

Then one day, I heard something in a podcast — honestly, I don’t even remember which one — and it stopped me in my tracks.

It was just a sentence.