Struggling with Anxiety? Here’s How I Learned to Understand and Manage It

If you're reading this and feeling like anxiety has its claws in you, believe me, I get it. I've been there—lying awake at night, chest tight, mind racing with "what ifs" that I couldn't seem to stop. Anxiety has this way of making you feel like you're drowning in your own thoughts, unable to catch your breath. But let me tell you something: there’s a way through it. I know because I found it.

Let me share what worked for me—because if I could take back control, so can you.

What Anxiety Felt Like for Me

For the longest time, I didn’t even realize what I was experiencing was anxiety. It showed up as this constant restlessness, this nagging worry in the background of everything I did. Small things would feel huge—like making a decision, talking to someone, or even just getting out of bed on tough days.

What hit me the hardest were the physical symptoms. My heart would race, my hands would sweat, and I’d feel this tightness in my chest like I couldn’t breathe. I thought something was wrong with me, and honestly, that fear only made things worse.

What I Learned About Anxiety

Here’s the truth: anxiety isn’t a sign of weakness. It’s your body’s way of reacting to something it perceives as a threat—whether that “threat” is real or not. For me, a lot of it came from my own thoughts. I’d replay conversations in my head, anticipate problems that hadn’t even happened, and criticize myself for not being able to just "snap out of it."

Sound familiar? If it does, I want you to know you’re not alone in this.

How I Started to Manage My Anxiety

It didn’t happen overnight, and I still have days where it’s tough, but these steps really helped me find my footing:

Breathe, Even When It Feels Impossible
During one of my worst moments, someone told me to focus on my breathing. I thought, How could something so simple help with this mess I’m feeling? But it did. I started with a basic exercise: inhale for four counts, hold it for four, and exhale for six. It was like giving my brain a reset button.

Ground Yourself in the Now
Anxiety lives in the future—in all those "what ifs." One trick that worked for me was grounding myself in the present. I’d look around and name things I could see, hear, or touch. It wasn’t perfect, but it pulled me out of the spiral long enough to think more clearly.

Get Your Thoughts Out of Your Head
My thoughts felt like they had a stranglehold on me until I started writing them down. At first, it felt silly, but once I saw my worries on paper, they didn’t seem so overwhelming. Sometimes, they even started to look downright ridiculous.

Move—Even When You Don’t Feel Like It
On my worst days, the last thing I wanted to do was move, but I noticed something: even a five-minute walk made a difference. It helped release the tension that had built up in my body. It didn’t fix everything, but it helped me breathe a little easier.

Talk to Someone Who Gets It
I used to keep everything bottled up, thinking I had to figure it out on my own. But opening up to someone I trusted made all the difference. Sometimes just hearing, I get it, and you’re not crazy, was enough to take the edge off.

What Helped Me the Most

What really shifted things for me was realizing I didn’t have to fight anxiety—I had to understand it. Once I stopped seeing it as an enemy and started treating it like a signal, I began to take back control. It’s not about never feeling anxious again; it’s about learning to handle it when it shows up.

Let’s Work Through This Together

I know how overwhelming anxiety can feel—it’s exhausting, and sometimes it feels like there’s no way out. But I want you to know there is a way through, and you don’t have to find it alone.

I’m offering a free discovery call because I know firsthand how life-changing it is to have someone help you make sense of what’s happening. On the call, we’ll:

• Talk about what’s really triggering your anxiety.
• Figure out what’s been holding you back from feeling better.
• Create a plan to help you take back control and start living life on your terms.

You’ve got nothing to lose by taking that first step. Book your free call below, and let’s work on this together.

You’re stronger than your anxiety wants you to believe. If I can get through it, so can you. Let’s figure this out, one step at a time. You’ve got this.