People who experience strong anxiety may, in some situations, think that the immediate situation is the cause of their anxiety but it could be that you don’t really like yourself that much.
When I saw this video, it was a bit of an a-ha moment:
The video suggests that people with undue amounts of anxiety don’t have more to worry about than the next person but indeed think less of themselves than they really should.
In other words, because one expects bad things to happen – since they feel that they deserve it – they are more anxious and are on high alert for when things inevitably go south.
For a lot of people who struggle with a low self-image, it can become almost second nature and natural to think and feel this way. It’s the default.
Some would suggest that this attitude is learned in childhood through not growing up in a supportive and loving environment. Due to this, we can begin to think we’re bad people, or undeserving of love. In any case, it can be an uphill battle to turn the tide on this way of thinking.
The video suggests that it’s not in trying to get rid of the anxiety that you’ll rid yourself of it but in learning to be kinder to yourself and by giving yourself a “good long hug”.
A few affirmations that may help (that were inspired by the above video) are:
- I like myself as I am
- I make people’s lives better by being in them
- I am a good person
- I deserve to exist
Affirmations can be a valuable tool and have been shown to decrease stress and rumination.
Ultimately, when you see that your own self-perception is at the root of your worry, you can more or less dismiss the situation as the cause of your anxiety and focus more on how you are treating yourself.
Self-compassion can go a long way in mending unhealthy self-perceptions but it can take time and practice. Affirmations are one tool for helping with this.