This 1 Idea Changed My Life and Saved Me From Frequent Anxiety Attacks
It’s so simple, that you’ll wonder why no one talks about it.
You heard from the grape-vine that your workplace just had a mass lay-off.
Sure, it didn’t happen to you.
But the fact it happened at all makes you uneasy.
Maybe you’ve even lost your job before, and just the idea of it happening again tightens your chest.
Your financial situation has been strained for so long that it feels irresponsible to ignore red flags like that. You need to make moves to protect yourself now.
But you’re a good worker. No one has ever talked to you about anything except maybe little things in the past. There is absolutely no reason to get rid of you, and yet… it gnaws at you.
Anxiety is a full-time job you never applied for
If you’re anything like me, these thoughts can be all-consuming. Especially if you’re someone people rely on to keep things afloat.
My anxiety gets so severe sometimes that it can be hard for me to function.
I used to take time off work because I was so frozen in fear over things that hadn’t even happened to me yet.
If you’ve been in this position before, it can be hard to find any sort of life-line. Sure, you can distract yourself. Maybe even try to ignore it altogether.
Yet it creeps at the edges of your mind, just within your peripheral vision, leaving you scattered, irritated, and drained.
This used to be a constant problem for me, and to some degree it still is.
But I’ve managed to find a way to lessen the panic, and ground myself back to Earth when I need it most. And it’s silly how simple it was.
This one sentence changed everything for me.
Don’t borrow grief from the future.
I don’t even remember where I saw this. If I had to guess, Tumblr. Trust me I tried to Google the origin and nada.
But it changed the way I viewed everything. More importantly, it works.
It’s crazy how much a mindset, one silly little profound sentence, can change your behavior and how you approach things.
Most of the things that I start to panic about aren’t happening yet.
Sure, they’ve happened in the past, but I literally freak myself out at just the idea of it. Reliving the inescapable anxiety and stress that comes with being in a difficult financial situation.
Yet, here I am.
Two years and many company mass lay-offs later and I’m still here.
It’s like I torture myself over what might happen.
I’ll find any “evidence” to cling onto that might indicate I’m right; and use that to confirm my pessimistic bias. Even when people do their best to reassure me, I can be inconsolable.
This one phrase changed the way I navigate panic.
It has saved me from making impulsive decisions that ultimately put me in a worse situation.
By literally telling myself “Don’t borrow grief from the future,” I’ve been able to subside that panic before it starts to set in.
Sure, it’s still there, but it’s underneath a layer of resilience that’s telling me: “Hey, let’s see what happens and go from there.”
If any of this resonates with you — please don’t ruin the present moment by simulating scenarios that ultimately hurt your mental and physical health.
This defense mechanism we’ve created for ourselves no longer serves us.
Slow down. Breathe. One day at a time.
We’ll burn that bridge when we get there.
If you liked this article, follow my newsletter where I send out FREE mental health and self-improvement resources twice a month! You can unsubscribe at any time.
