Anxiety, along with depression, is one of the major challenges of the 21st century. According to a survey, 27.3% of American adults struggle with anxiety: 23.5% of men and 30.8% of women report experiencing high levels of it. If you think of yourself as an anxious person, you’re far from alone.
Is It Really Anxiety?
What we call anxiety isn’t always what it seems. It can be confused with conditions such as ADHD or manic and depressive states. Anxiety can also occur alongside various mental health conditions and disorders.
How Can You Assess Your Anxiety?
Anxiety is a natural human emotion that can affect you physically, mentally, and behaviorally. You can assess what you’re experiencing by paying attention to these signs or by taking reliable online tests such as the Beck Anxiety Inventory or the Spielberger–Khanin Anxiety Test.
These tools can help you measure your anxiety levels and gain a clearer understanding of what you’re dealing with.
How Can You Accept Your Anxiety?
The most important thing to remember is that anxiety is a natural human emotion. It deserves the same acceptance as any other feeling, whether that’s happiness, sadness, anger, or fear.
Why Anxiety Has a Purpose
Emotions are part of who we are, and anxiety serves a purpose: it helps us adapt. In healthy doses, anxiety alerts us to danger and encourages us to take precautions. To begin accepting this emotion, try imagining it as a helpful friend who’s looking out for you.
For example, if you’re experiencing digestive issues, anxiety might trigger thoughts such as, “What if I’m sick? What if it’s something serious?” Those worries may lead you to book a doctor’s appointment, get checked out, and address the problem.
In relationships, anxiety about your partner’s behavior might motivate you to look more closely at what’s happening or have an open and honest conversation.
Accepting Long-Term and Stress-Related Anxiety
When anxiety is long-term—whether it’s part of your personality or a feature of your nervous system—it’s important to accept it in the same way you accept having arms or legs. It’s part of who you are, and you can’t change your genetics.
If your anxiety has recently intensified because of a crisis or severe stress, try to accept it as a temporary phase. As the old saying goes, “This too shall pass.” The same applies to stress-related anxiety: it will pass.
Acceptance Does Not Mean Giving Up
Keep in mind that accepting your anxiety doesn’t mean giving up on managing it. Acceptance means acknowledging that anxiety is present while learning practical ways to reduce its intensity and influence.
Our “Anxiety Management” course offers proven techniques ranging from psychological practices to meditation and embodiment exercises. You can also explore the “Psychosutra” section of our Mindspa app, where you’ll find exercises designed to lower anxiety.
Anxiety can be demanding, but it isn’t your entire personality, and it shouldn’t be allowed to take over your life. By accepting it, you stop using your energy to fight the emotion itself and free yourself to focus on other parts of your life.
How Can You Overcome Shame About Your Anxiety?
If you feel ashamed of your anxiety, remind yourself that it’s a natural human response—and an incredibly common one. We all face countless stressors, so it’s impossible to avoid anxiety completely.
Anxiety Is Not a Sign of Weakness
Anxiety isn’t a sign of weakness! You wouldn’t feel ashamed of breaking a leg, catching a cold, or having dark hair, would you?
Feeling anxious does not mean there’s something wrong with you as a person. Anxiety is an emotional response, not a personal failure or a reason to judge yourself.
Focus on What You Can Manage
We can’t control how our nervous system develops or which genes we inherit. We also can’t control every situation life brings our way. However, we do have the power to manage anxiety and its impact on our lives.
You can learn to recognize how much anxiety affects you and then work on reducing the influence of anxious thoughts and behaviors. Acceptance allows you to acknowledge your experience without defining yourself by it.
Being anxious may be unpleasant, but it’s nothing to be ashamed of. After all, you’re a human being, not a machine. Don’t forget that.
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