5 Anxiety Myths You Should Ignore: It’s Not Just About Overthinking
If you cross your eyes, they’ll get stuck like that.
Don’t sweep over someone’s feet, or they’ll never get married.
If your hand itches, money is coming your way.
Yeah, we’ve heard um all! LOL
Most myths are harmless.
Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for anxiety myths. At best, they’re slightly misleading. At worst, they lead you to waste precious time, energy, and emotional resources on strategies that don’t work or even make things worse. These myths can prevent you from seeking the help you need and create unnecessary guilt or shame around your struggles with anxiety.
So let’s bust a few common anxiety myths once and for all.
LET’S GO!
Anxiety Myth #1: Anxiety Is Just Overthinking
In the early days of understanding mental health, anxiety was often dismissed as mere overthinking. People believed that if you could just "stop thinking so much," you could eliminate anxiety. At least, that’s what many of us were told by well-meaning friends, family members, and even some professionals.
While overthinking can be a symptom of anxiety, it’s far from the full picture. Anxiety is a complex emotional and physical response to perceived threats. It involves:
Physical symptoms: Racing heart, sweating, shortness of breath, muscle tension.
Emotional symptoms: Fear, dread, irritability, or feelings of impending doom.
Behavioral symptoms: Avoidance, compulsive behaviors, or restlessness.
Overthinking is just one piece of the anxiety puzzle, but it’s not the root cause. By reducing anxiety to overthinking, we overlook the biological and environmental factors that contribute to it.
What to Do Instead
If you find yourself stuck in cycles of overthinking, try focusing on grounding techniques like deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, or mindfulness exercises. These strategies target the physiological aspects of anxiety and can help interrupt the cycle.
For example, practicing the 4-7-8 breathing technique (inhaling for 4 seconds, holding for 7, and exhaling for 8) can help calm your nervous system in moments of heightened anxiety.
Most importantly, understand that addressing anxiety often requires a multi-faceted approach, including therapy, lifestyle changes, and sometimes medical support. If anxiety is impacting your daily life, consider seeking professional help to explore these options.
Book a free 15-minute consultation to learn how therapy can help you move beyond overthinking.
Anxiety Myth #2: Avoiding Triggers Is the Best Way to Manage Anxiety
It might feel logical to avoid things that make you anxious. Avoiding crowded spaces if you feel panicky in public, skipping presentations to dodge social anxiety, or steering clear of highways to avoid driving-related fears may seem like self-care.
However, avoidance often backfires. While it may reduce anxiety in the short term, it reinforces the belief that the trigger is dangerous and something you can’t handle. Over time, this can make anxiety worse and shrink your world.
Why This Doesn't Work
Avoidance prevents you from building resilience to your triggers.
It reinforces fear by teaching your brain that the only way to stay safe is to avoid certain situations.
It can lead to missed opportunities and limit your ability to live a fulfilling life.
What to Do Instead
A more effective approach is gradual exposure therapy, where you slowly face your triggers in a controlled and supportive way. For example, if public speaking triggers anxiety, you might start by practicing in front of a mirror, then move on to speaking in front of one trusted friend, and gradually work up to larger audiences.
This process retrains your brain to recognize that you can handle these situations, reducing the power they have over you.
Book a free 15-minute consultation to explore therapy techniques like exposure therapy.
Anxiety Myth #3: Anxiety Is Always Bad
One of the most persistent myths about anxiety is that it’s entirely negative and should be eradicated. Not true! Anxiety, in small doses, can actually serve a useful purpose. It’s your body’s way of alerting you to potential threats and preparing you to take action.
For example, feeling a little anxious before a big presentation can sharpen your focus and improve performance. Similarly, anxiety about an upcoming deadline can motivate you to prioritize tasks and meet your goals.
When Anxiety Becomes a Problem
The issue arises when anxiety becomes chronic or disproportionate to the situation. Instead of being a helpful tool, it takes over your life and prevents you from functioning effectively.
What to Do Instead
Rather than viewing anxiety as the enemy, try reframing it as a signal. Ask yourself:
What is my anxiety trying to tell me?
Is there a real problem I can address, or is this a false alarm?
Using mindfulness techniques, you can learn to observe anxiety without judgment, which helps reduce its intensity and frequency.
Book a free 15-minute consultation to learn how to work with your anxiety, not against it.
Anxiety Myth #4: You Can Get Rid of Anxiety Forever
If only we could "cure" anxiety and never feel it again! Unfortunately, that’s not how the human brain works. Anxiety is a natural part of life and will always show up in some form.
The truth? The goal of anxiety management isn’t to eliminate it completely but to reduce its impact on your daily life and learn how to respond to it in healthy ways.
Why This Myth Persists
This myth is perpetuated by quick-fix solutions and well-meaning advice like, “Just think positive” or “Don’t worry about it.” While these phrases might sound comforting, they oversimplify the complexity of anxiety and can make you feel like you’re failing if you still experience it.
What to Do Instead
Focus on building a toolkit of coping strategies, such as:
Practicing mindfulness and meditation.
Regular exercise and healthy sleep habits.
Identifying and challenging unhelpful thought patterns.
Working with a therapist can help you develop these skills and create a plan tailored to your needs.
Book a free 15-minute consultation to start building your anxiety management toolkit.
Anxiety Myth #5: You Can’t Function Normally If You Have Anxiety
This myth can be particularly harmful because it creates unnecessary stigma and self-doubt. The truth is, many people with anxiety lead fulfilling, productive lives. You might not even realize that some of the most successful people in the world, from athletes to CEOs, manage anxiety daily.
Why This Myth Is Harmful
Believing you can’t function with anxiety can:
Discourage you from pursuing your goals.
Increase feelings of isolation and shame.
Make anxiety feel like an insurmountable barrier.
What to Do Instead
Recognize that anxiety doesn’t define you. Therapy can help you separate your identity from your symptoms and equip you with tools to navigate life’s challenges.
One helpful strategy is cognitive defusion, a technique from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) that encourages you to view your anxious thoughts as separate from yourself. For example, instead of saying, “I’m anxious,” you might say, “I’m noticing that I’m having anxious thoughts.” This subtle shift can help you take a step back and respond more intentionally.
Book a free 15-minute consultation to learn how to thrive with anxiety.
Wrapping It Up
And there you have it:
5 anxiety myths… busted.
Anxiety is complex and deeply personal, and understanding it requires more than outdated advice and quick fixes. By learning to recognize and challenge these myths, you can take the first steps toward managing anxiety in a way that supports your well-being and personal growth.
If you’re ready to move beyond myths and take control of your anxiety, book a free 15-minute consultation. Let’s work together to create a plan that helps you thrive.
Until next time….
Chrys OUT! xoxoxoxoxox
