Great video! I am on a binge watching videos about neuroplasticity right now and this was an interesting and helpful approach to anxiety. Great work!

I beat my literally crippling anxiety by just not caring anymore. When I’d feel a panic attack come on I just thought “whatever, this is the millionth one and I’ve made it through the rest”. Took me a LONG time to get that way, but I haven’t had a panic attack in getting close to a year now.

When your brain is learning about your brain

"Do the things you are afraid to do" or "seek discomfort" are the 2 mottos that have helped me overcome my anxiety.

Psilocybin saved my life. I was addicted to heroin for 15 years and after Psilocybin treatment I will be 3 years clean in September. I have zero cravings. This is something that truly needs to be more broadly used in addiction treatment.

Anxiety happens when you think you have to figure out everything all at once. Breathe. You’re strong. You got this. Take it day by day.

It’s the fear of anxiety that is the problem, not anxiety itself. When I realised that anxiety is the same physically as excitement and that it’s just how you frame / perceive those feelings... things changed. Don’t fight against it, meet it with love, acceptance and open arms. Don’t ignore your thoughts, welcome them but don’t hold on too tight to any of them. Remember, you are the observer, not the thought.

My anxiety used to be so bad that I thought that I wasn't able to do any sort of activity without first taking some kind of opiate/pain pill. Thank God I'm able to do things without now and have been sober for 1.5 years. Hallelujah! You all can do it too! I have faith and believe in you! ❤️

First time in my entire 24 years that I feel like my trauma, anxiety and struggles are VALIDATED! Your videos have changed my life and I am currently on a huge journey to help myself. THANK YOU

• Step 1: Exposure yourself gradually • Step 2: Change the way you see the situation • Step 3: Face the fear

Avoidance feeds anxiety, so very interesting and true.

I really hope everyone overcomes their anxiety! Whoever has it you can do it. I am working on mine and its been so hard. I’ve been anxious just for being anxious this past year. Especially with the pandemic it made it even worse because I was able to avoid going out and stuff. My brain has drove me crazy with it and I wouldnt ever wish this on my worst enemy. It really can be the worse thing ever and some days are the worst and can make you feel like you dont want to live at all. But i’ve been trying to be in control again and I know gradually I will make progress. I wish everyone below the comments who has anxiety, that one day you guys will overcome it. We can do it :)

To anyone who is struggling right now: it doesn't have to be and it won't be like that forever. I used to be so anxious and depressed and I thought I would never experience anything new because I was so afraid. But the thought of not doing anything with my life terrified me too and that's what kept me going. I'm now much older, anxiety comes and goes but I'm happy and I meet new people and do new things all the time! 🥰 u can do it! ❤️💪🏼

i’m so grateful for this comment section. key words: self acceptance and reassurance. thank you all for sharing your stories, it helps me truly.

Fear of abandonment, rejection and embarrassment while also pushing everyone away. It’s lonely out here 😞

I've been having an extremely stressful and anxious period in my life. I've recently tried cold water therapy sitting for 2 minutes in a freezing cold pool of water in a mountain creek, afterwards I was a different person. I now take cold showers during my sauna sessions, I highly recommend it.

What scares me is that I have everything I could ask for in life and my family loves me but I still have anxiety...

This lady has a calming down effect when she speaks

Anxiety still annoys me and overwhelmes me a couple times a week. But I feel way better day by day from eating healthy and working out 5 days a week! Disciplining myself has helped greatly! It makes you feel like you’re in control!

This saved me from my biggest panic attack I've ever had. God bless.

"Your world shrinks". So true.

Thank you! I've wasted twenty years going to five different therapists and not one of them ever mentioned these techniques. KZfaq is such a gift!

This therapists voice is warm and very comforting. I always feel reassured.

I started learning piano at 27. Now 37, I can tell you it made me realize how much I wasn’t able to focus. (On learning anything)

Matthew 6:34 “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

Things I found helpful in dealing with anxiety are: acceptance, be grateful for all the little things you have, focusing on breathing, meditation and outdoor activities. The most important of all is to be grateful. While anxiety puts us in a constant state of fear, gratitude gives us peace and joy.

A great video. Be careful what you feed your mind. To feel better reduce negative thoughts and overthinking. Avoid comparing with others, daily morning sunlight walks, reduce negative social media and avoid constipation as it affects the mind instantly. Your breathing is closely related to the brain [mind] and gives relief from stress-anxiety. To relax sit on a chair or lie down, neck straight, eyes closed and observe the sensations of your incoming--outgoing breath at the entrance of the nostrils for 5-10-15 minutes or more. Never meditate with expectations but with awareness. Don’t fight your thoughts. With daily practice the mind will relax. No deep breathing needed. Observe your breath sensations before sleep, in college, at work, taking a walk, when reading, etc.etc. Like me, make this a lifetime daily habit to have a better life. Best wishes--Counsellor.

"When you experience something, and you don't die, your brain tells you it's safe" I genuinely laughed, because it's so simple, yet so true. I've denied myself a lot by falling into the cycle. However, by comparing something like comically exploding to the actual worst case of her saying no, it makes the concern feel trivial. Now I begin to feel like things like that aren't a real risk anymore.

I beat my sleep anxiety by saying: "fuck it, if I die of sleep deprivation, so be it." And my sleep actually normalized and I now can sleep decently. Beating anxiety is actually going on a downward spiral all the way in your mind, accepting it and living it.

I feel like I'm over coming anxiety just by watching this 😂

As a person suffering from anxiety disorder and panic attack, a few days ago when I was giving a lecture to participants, i got a.panic attack and started sweating..naturally this is very embarrassing and awkward feeling..However I persisted and still continued and completed that lecture...while the lecture did not go well as per expectation, however I was happy that despite my panic attack(extreme sweating) and the embarrassing situation, I continued to persist by giving the lecture...

As a young adult going through a bout of crippling anxiety, these videos are increasingly helpful. Thank you so much

Well done doctor, my personal experience to overcome from anxiety is to follow below steps 1. Deep breathing 2. Don't avoid fear 3. CBT practice 4. Positive affirmation These steps will developed new nuro patterns.

The worst things are avoidance, escapism and coping. Just stay with the sensation, accept it fully and let it go. Do this many many times. It's not easy but that's the only way out.

Thank you for this informative presentation. My anxiety is taking care of my mom. My hands shaking, heart racing! I just can’t face her knowing the past bad experiences will come back!

I was looking up the amygdala, and fell into this one. THERE ARE NO ACCIDENTS. This person is GREAT and giving over info, in understandable terms (with meaning). A true sign she understands the material thoroughly.

My brain right now cause I’m watching how to rewire it .... “🤨” Lol

I have been practising the Mindfulness of Breathing technique kzfaq.infoUgkxIIDVgnLN8pF_fPOyoZ1nTjbLvvZcib6r as taught in this CD for about 2 years having read about it in Paramananda's Change Your Mind book and taken a real liking to it. However at times I struggle to remain focused on the breathing and thought that at such times this guided version might suit me. So after two years I finally decided to buy it! The first 7'24 of Track 1 of the CD is a body relaxtion which I do not use: I don't like body relaxation techniques and I find 27' just a little too long for meditation. The remaining 20' of gentle, guided meditation helps me tremendously to relax and stay focused. I find him's voice very soothing and whilst he is present to guide you through the 4 stages of the meditation, his presence is not intrusive or distracting. For the past two years I have tried to follow this technique as best I can with gentle meditation music despite music not being recommended. Having used this CD a couple of times I think I will try from now on to adopt a new routine of no music and just this CD as I find it so helpful. I realise now that the music really is distracting and I have enjoyed listening to the ambient sounds around me which I am normally unaware of. I can not comment on the other 2 tracks of Metta or Walking Meditation as I bought the CD solely to help me with the Mindfulness of Breathing and it does just that - very effectively. In my opinion this CD is money very well spent as it will guide you through a thoroughly useful and beneficial meditation technique and I don't think you can put a price on that.

I've watched a lot of videos on anxiety. Never came across any that offers practical solutions like this one. Love the way you explain things. Makes a lot of sense. Gives me hope.

Anxiety is the tide and my life is a walk along the beach. It sometimes laps around my ankles, once in a while it feels as if I'm wading through it, but it helps to know it will go out again at some point. The trick is to learn how to side step that first wave, whether it's talking to someone or learning to help yourself by watching video's like this. Thinking this way helps me to separate anxiety from the core 'me', if that makes sense, and I can therefore 'own' it rather than let it engulf me. Find what works for you.

That was the most simple and logical explanation about anxiety, even my mind couldn't say anything about what you said, more like "ok, she discovered our Strategie" 😂 Thanks for the explanation!

No more palpitations!! No more heart racing!! Goodluck everyone!!

Omg, you're fantastic! Thanks so much! ❤ 👌 👍 Notes 📝 0:14 Woah 3 steps to take control of your anxiety: 1:30 1:50 (If you want to change how your brain processes anxiety) *Three principles of anxiety #1. 1:56 What is anxiety? #2. 3:07 Disordered anxiety #2-a. 4:09 The second variation of disordered anxiety 4:40 What causes anxiety? The anxiety cycle 5:46 "Every single time that we avoid a threat and survive, our brain thinks, 'Let's do that again'". #3. 6:20 Avoidance feeds disordered anxiety 7:41 8:57 3 big steps to intervene anxiety: #3-1. 9:32 step1: Make an exposure hierarchy #3-2. 10:02 step2: Change your rules #3-3. 11:17-12:30 step3: Face your fears

I suffer from depression and anxiety. I often thought "why is there no manual by nature on how my mind is working". now i found it. Thank you.

Sometimes it is really difficult to differentiate between a trigger and anxiety. I've worked through both. We have to put conscious efforts in recognizing and acknowledging them. If we deny then definitely as you said being avoidant increases our anxiety.

i have really bad social anxiety and it gets in the way of my every day life. i’m unemployed, have no friends or a relationship because of it and i’m over it. i’m tired of feeling anxious and terrified whenever I leave my house. like i get anxiety from even talking with my own family, i can’t keep living like this so this week i am going to start an exposure hierarchy and see if this helps me!

Perfect example of getting over my fear of elevators (I got stuck in one when I was a teenager for three hours) I could hardly even look at an elevator for many years. Eventually, I moved into an apartment with a friend, and he lived on the 8th floor. Everyday I would walk up and down the stairs completely avoiding the elevator. This was so tiring. I took a leap of faith and used the elevator. Nothing happened. I eventually started using the elevator everyday. Now, I don’t even have a second thought when I use one. It’s not scary anymore, and even if I think about getting stuck again, it doesn’t scare me 🤷‍♂️

My best friend is either very wise or has watched videos like this in attempt to help me theough panic attacks. Either way, I feel fortunate. The last couple severe episodes I had, when the fear was so much for me I couldn't cope, I showed up at his house, because that family has made it a point to tell me I'm always welcome there. Honestly makes me tear up thinking about how great they are. Anyway, I'd show up, looking, as he's described, like I've been in a war zone. My hair all over the place, my face pale, wide eyes, trying and failing to stomp down the very real thought that I needed to go to the ER, because I was about to die. I'd admit to him I thought I may need him to take me there, and thought of going to his house so I could leave my dog there so he wouldn't be alone, just in case something happened. Each time, we'd go sit on his back porch, I'd pet my dog, get up and pace around, shaking and trying not to cry, usually struggling to breathe, and he'd tell me that if I thought this was absolutely not anxiety this time, and if I was too scared and wanted him to drive me there, he would definitely take me to the ER, because he doesn't want anything bad to happen to me either. However, he wanted to ask about my symptoms, because we both knew I'd had this issue in the past. He'd ask, I'd answer. I'd tell him why I thought this time was worse or more worrying than the last, and he'd ask more questions. Eventually, I'd realize, or he'd point out, that if I'd been having a heart attack or a stroke or any number of immediate health threats like I was worried about, the symptoms wouldn't be getting better the longer we were there talking. They'd be getting worse, and I'd be in a really bad state. Was it risky? Somewhat. I'm relatively healthy aside from stress and anxiety, and under 30, still. The doctors assure me every time I get blood pressure checks or going in because I do have some symptom like sinus pain or dizziness, that my heart and lungs seem perfectly fine. I have no risk factors for heart disease or cancer, stroke or COPD aside from stress, so, it's highly unlikely those things will hit me. Each time we did this, it was awful, I was exhausted and feeling pathetic and crazy afterwards, but I was fine, physically. Nothing bad happened. This happened to this degree at least 3 times, and now each time I feel the beginnings of that state; the stomach dropping sensation, the one you get when you "know" something bad is about to happen, the symptoms: light headedness, dizziness, tingling, difficulty drawing a breath...I remember acutely the last time I had that feeling, and I remember all the other times, and the one phrase comes back to me every time: but, did you die? And the answer's always "no. I was just fine. I pet my dog and I gave him his evening meal, and I took a shower and I could breathe normally within about a half hour. Then I went to bed and woke up. And I didn't have those symptoms again for a long time. Everything was fine." It's remembering all those times I was wrong that helped reduce this issue to the point where I might panic a little at first about a symptom, but rarely does the feeling become unmanageable to the point where I think I should actually go to a hospital. When I do have that thought, I tell myself, okay, let's keep an eye on that, and if the symptom doesn't clear up or improve at all, if it gets worse, in a half hour or so, and you think you're really in danger, go. Or, if it's a long term illness I get worried about, like some neurological thing, I tell myself "ok. So, you know how that disease progresses because you've seen what happens. Yes, you have this one symptom that person had. But it's not an ongoing thing, it hasn't gotten worse, plus you've had this symptom before, and it was minor then went away. Which doesn't happen if you have that disease. It's consistent. It comes back, then gets worse and more frequent over time. That's not what's happening here. This symptom is also completely benign in most cases, and can be a sign of..wait for it....stress and anxiety. Or even slight dehydration. Drink some water, wait a while, see what happens." That's my thought process nowadays, anyway. Posting this short novel of a message in case it helps someone else.

I have been doing personal development for 6yrs now and I'm a certified Master Practitioner of NLP, Hypnosis and TLT and I must admit; it is one of the simple and effective video on anxiety I have come across in a very very long time! Bless your soul!! 💐👏

I wish they taught this in school. After feeling depressed and anxious for years, I didn't have much hope that I'd ever feel better. Now I feel more in control, and motivated to put this advice to use! I'm so thankful for this video ❤

Walnuts are a great brain food. Just thought I'd throw that out there. Magnesium really helps too. I just learned many people are deficient and it causes anxious feels. Vitamin D levels can be low too. It helped improve my seasonal affective disorder a lot.

The only way I’ve been able to help myself is acceptance. Accept your fear and anxiety and come to peace with it. I developed a horrible choking anxiety after a tragic death in the family (not choking related) and then found out I was pregnant. It was super random and still working on it but I wake up and eat with acceptance. Exposure therapy is so important to help improve your disorder.

My mental health has improved this year, largely because of the work I am doing with my brilliant counsellor and partly because of my own online learning, particularly from videos like this from Emma and other KZfaqrs. Not only has it improved my wellbeing but I plan to train as a counsellor/therapist because I have developed such an interest by watching these kinds of videos.

A book that changed my life a long time ago: Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway

Step 1 exposure to what you fear step 2 willingness to be uncomfortable. Start small. Step 3 imagine the situation being ok.

I suffered with a major anxiety and panic disorder for over two years. Face, accept , floating, and let time pass is what cured me. Panic is just an electrical flash that is it. It is superficial and the more you except the feeling of anxiety and panic the less grip it has. The less grip - the less tension- the less tension- the less panic.

Today I was in a crowd of people for a while…I was my authentic self…I felt safe there…I was able to observe most of the time and not absorb the different energies After the event was over I took time to relax and just sit with my emotions. It was ok but a different experience.

Best description about anxiaty I've ever heard. I'd get so much anxiety about driving that I didn't get my license till I was 30 years old and I still struggle when there's a lot of traffic. Anxiety sucks 😏

The brain is such an amazing organ. It's so cool how much it's able to change and grow. I love that we have the power to dictate how these changes can happen with a little effort.

Anxiety happens when you are trying to control the future instead of living for today. Another challenge is that there is no need to "be and do things perfect". Our imperfections is what makes us unique, we were born to stand out

She’s just given me more anxiety

"If it were easy you would have already done it." Thank you for acknowledging that. Sometimes the programming starts in the family of origin. And one knows that nothing else exists. And sometimes it's generated in adulthood, for ex, toxic work environments. You can't avoid it, and most are resistant to change. These settings generate anxiety.

The most practical and simplest video I ever came across on anxiety. I can understand where my problem was, I avoided anxiety and performed grounding activities, now I know what my exercise should be. Facing my fears a little by little.

Thank you. Simply acknowledging anxiety and embrace it not fighting it brings it down. Great teaching🙏

Honestly this video gave me the first step to heal from my anxiety and fearful thoughts , my anxiety disorder started in October 2019 and since then ,my life turned to a living hell , fearful thoughts of my past and anxiety .... and now i started to accept , imagine and interact with acceptance the fearful thoughts ..... since from the first hour of doing that my anxiety started to decrease . Accept your thoughts , accept your past , interact with the thought , believe that whatever happened was meant to happen , you done your best , believe that whatever thought your brain is giving you is to protect you , keep repeating the acceptance of whatever that fearful thought is telling you .. no matter what you have PTSD , OCD or whatever , they are all based on one thing ... FEAR ..... and to beat the fear you MUST face it , accept it with love and forgiveness , Imagine that fearful thought with its worst scenario and accept it , you`ll see a huge relief from anxiety , keep doing it till your brain will create new Neuro plasticity ....... that's the golden key .

I have “general” anxiety disorder... SO many thing make me moderately anxious all the time, and other things that create severe anxiety. Most my anxiety is somatic now. But, doing this to one by one address things/places/situations/emotions that make me anxious would take more time than I have left! 😢

I'm scared to go for walks because I was almost taken while on one. I am traumatized and just starting to walk outside again. this helps.

You are so gifted Emma!! Your ability to break things down into understandable, doable parts is so helpful. Fellow LMFT here, and so incredibly grateful for your channel. I refer many of my clients to your videos.

Each time i hear the word anxiety my anxiety increases

This. Is literally. Therapy in a nutshell.. my god how did I not find you before... This is exactly what I'm working on with my clinical psychologist. It works guys, it takes a lot of work and time but it works. Thank you for the video.

My anxiety messed me up in my learning as a child. I had so much trouble learning and sometimes I still do. I feel that it came from my childhood. I was treated very poorly as a child by my parents.

Writing therapy has helped my anxiety a lot. But it was writing about the actual source of my anxiety (scarred family relationships and gaslighting). This helped me confront the issue and retrain my brain on how to handle uncertain situations. Am still on the journey but it’s really helped me open up.

For anyone feeling down or as if the world has turned its back on you, please know that I might not know you or what you are going through, but I love you nonetheless. You are an amazing person and have the greatest gift the universe could provide, LIFE. I know, it is hard and sometimes it might seem easier to leave this place, but there is happiness out there if you look hard enough. It could take the shape of a man/woman, a endless grassy meadow filled with wild flowers, a Arizona sunset or a comfy couch with your favorite ice-cream and movie playing. There is something for everyone and yes, that includes YOU! Everyone deserves happiness, regardless if you think you are worthy of it or not. I love you, you are loved, spread the love and live a life of love ;)

Her asking me to sit with it until my anxiety decreases, just listening to it almost had me crying. 😢

All my life I've been super anxious with almost a claustrophobic feeling when in crowds, big cities, and heavy traffic. No amount of exposure has been able to rewire my brain, and facing the fear doesn't make it more bearable over time. I think we're adverse to certain anxiety-provoking things in life and at the end of the day, they should simply be avoided rather than 'remedied'.

Claire Weekes pioneerd this method. Her book is wonderful. Therapists don't tell you that because you may not have the need for them anymore.

Deeply investigate psylocybin and then safetly take it with assistance of therapist. 30 years of my trauma was gone in 4 hours. Love You all ❤

Excellent presentation! When a young girl and woman (long ago), due some reasons, I had anxiety and real panic attacks in group situations. My face flushed really red, I lost my train of thought, I was gone. I was afraid of dogs, too, I had been bitten. In all of these cases I approached very logically. I never run away. 1) What´s the worst that can happen? (Eg I reasoned, the dog bites me, I will go and get help, that´s all.) 2) I decided I don´t care what other people think. - Even as a mature woman now, I am amazed at my brain´s own inner capacity to help me deduct and solve my problems (which were really serious). And heal them. Today, I have no such fears. My own brain healed them.

This was one of the most amazing vid about anxiety on youtube

what if I'm anxious without knowing what makes me anxious... A lot of great tips in the comments!

You are amazing! My daughter has severe anxiety about school and grades and this will help me in my working with her to overcome it. Now we BOTH will have a much better understanding and I am sure this will help us move forward. Thanks!

This was so useful for sensitive people or anyone with anxiety. Your detailed process was so helpful. 🙏

Thank you so much for this! I’ve been hiding from my anxiety and stress for too long and I’m now physically exhausted

WOW I am 32 years and in the past 32 years I have been pushing Anxiety aside because I thought it was normal and it ruined my life, but haha that fact that coming here and watching the video and started to applying knowledge, My life started to change slowly, so it was not normal at all , you are great thank you for the video and We all going to overcome Anxiety!

Definitely sharing this with my sister. I love her so much and want to see her be able to live life normally. 💗 I was able to conquer my anxiety and she's a lot like me with strong will power so I know that she can do it too. Just takes time and effort.

This video and comment section is so wonderful! Look at humans trying to help one another. My heart feels such joy.

it takes over everything

Just started watching these and omg….they are helping me realize the root of my GAD. It’s been eye-opening to learn not only how to calm myself, but how/why I got here in the first place. Thank u so much for sharing ur wisdom and expertise. I’m in therapy and on medz, too, but ur videos have helped me make HUGE progress on my own, and frankly, given me hope. 🙏❤️

When I feel anxious about anything going wrong I repeat to myself “You are lying to me” to any bad thought.💕most of the time it helps, along with providing solutions to these negative thoughts.

Imagine being stuck in constant fight or flight mode due to a unique state of being that you know no one will ever be able to comprehend. 😏

Thank you, this video made me realize that I tend to blame my anxiety on the fact that I am introverted, highly sensetive and an empath and that way let my anxiety worsen. I just sent a message to my therapist explaining exactly that. And its a huge step for me because I always send short messages with no context. You might have actually sent me in the direction of recovery. Wish me luck!

I watched this on a whim and thank God I did. My anxiety with school starting back up has been awful. I followed your tips and after one day I feel so much better. I feel productive with my work, and am taking this one day at a time. Finally going to check my email and order my textbooks. Thank you I'm so glad I found you!!

I've been stuck with this exact problem to a drastic degree for along time. This information was so impactful and explained so well.. thank you! I wish I could have heard this way sooner in life.

The point about avoidance is a truly great one, crazy i haven't heard it elaborated on before!

You have no idea how much I laughed and felt relief during this video. I have been going through a spiritual awakening for the past 4 months now and have been feeling pressure in my head for at least 2 months. I will definitely be recommending this video to anyone going through a spiritual awakening as well. Because clearly developing anxiety is a possibility and literally watching this video released so much of the pressure I have been feeling😭🙏🏽.

People like you are so much needed in life of people suffering with mental health problems

I didn't want this video to end. Thank you. I'm gonna watch it again to take notes agoraphobia, I shall beat you!

This video is the only video that seemed to actually help me! I get very anxious answering questions in class and reading to the whole class (books), my heart starts beating really fast, my palms get sweaty and my voice gets really shakey. I used to avoid talking in class at all means, but now Im going to face my fears and gradually improve my anxiety step by step by talking in class until I feel less anxious doing it. Thank you so so much, you have no idea how much this video aided me

I wish I could afford therapy, this is heaven sent. Thank you 😞

I laughed haaard when the brain said, “let’s do that again!” Avoiding has been my default mode for a very long time. Thank you for this very helpful video.