The Weight of the Spiral
For years, I felt like I was trapped in a never-ending eycle of negative thoughts. It wasn’t just a bad day or a rough week. It was a constant storm of self-doubt, fear, and mental exhaustion. My brain had become wired to expect the worst-case scenario. Living with generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) meant that even the smallest problems felt like mountains. And when you’re stuck in that endless spiral, it’s hard to see a way out.
I would often asked myself, when will this ever end? At the time, it didn’t feel it would. It became part of my normal. It became who I was. One negative thought would trigger another and another until I was convinced that whatever I did I would fail. But over time, with a lot of help and healing, I learned something powerful, ‘this too shall pass.’
When Catastrophising Takes over
If you live with anxiety, you probably know what it’s like to catastrophise. Your friend doesn’t text back? They must be mad at you. Your boss wants to speak to you? You’re probably getting fired. It’s like our minds are always on high alert, scanning for threats that aren’t even there.
Catastrophising hijacks your ability to think rationally. And in the moment, those thoughts feel very real. That’s what makes them so scary. When anxiety takes over, logic flies out the window, and we become trapped in fear. Learning to recognise when we’re doing this is the first step in breaking the cycle.
Rewiring Our Thoughts
One of the most important parts of my journey was understanding that our brains can be rewired. Yes, you read that right. The thoughts we repeat every day, especially the negative ones, create pathways in our brains. The more we think them, the deeper those paths become.
But just like we learned to think negatively, we can teach ourselves to think more positively. It’s not easy, and it doesn’t happen overnight. It takes practice, patience, and a willingness to challenge what feels comfortable (even if it’s harmful). This is where therapy, especially Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), became important to me. Educating myself was also a big help.
The Power of CBT and Therapy
CBT gave me tools to question my negative thoughts instead of accepting them as truth. I started to learn that not every thought deserves my attention. For example, just because I thought I was going to fail didn’t mean I actually would. It sounds simple, but it takes time for this process to sink in.
Therapy also gave me a safe space to say the scary stuff out loud. And you know what? The more I talked about it, the less power it had. Therapy reminded me that I wasn’t alone, and that my feelings were valid, but not permanent.
Medication Isn’t a Weakness
There’s a lot of stigma around medication for mental health, but let’s clear something up: taking medication doesn’t make you weak. In fact, it takes strength to recognise that you need help and to take steps toward healing.
I’ve been on medication for anxiety at quite a while. For me, it was like putting on glasses after years of blurry vision. It didn’t “fix” me, but it gave me the clarity I needed to focus on therapy and rewiring my thoughts. Sometimes your brain needs a little support, and that’s okay.
One Day at a Time
When you’re in the depths of anxiety or depression, looking ahead can feel overwhelming. The idea of “getting better” feels impossible when just getting through the next hour is a struggle. That’s why I started continually telling myself, one day at a time.
I stopped pressuring myself to have it all figured out. Instead, I focused on small wins. Did I get out of bed today? Win. Did I challenge a negative thought? Another win. Each small step built momentum, and slowly, I started to feel stronger.
Stronger Than You Think
You might not believe it right now, but you are stronger than you think. Seriously. Think about everything you’ve survived so far. The nights you didn’t sleep. The days you cried in silence. The times you kept going even when your mind screamed at you to stop.
Strength doesn’t always look like bravery or boldness. Sometimes it’s quiet. Sometimes it’s just showing up. But it’s still strength. And the more you recognise it in yourself, the more it grows.
Shifting the Inner Dialogue
One of the hardest things I had to learn was how to speak to myself with kindness. I was my own worst critic, constantly telling myself I wasn’t good enough. That kind of inner dialogue only fuels anxiety.
So I started to flip the script. When I caught myself thinking, “I can’t do this,” I’d replace it with, “I’m doing the best I can.” Over time, those small changes made a big difference. Positive self-talk helps reinforce the idea that it too shall pass, even when it doesn’t feel like it in the moment.
Trusting the Process
Healing isn’t linear. Some days you’ll feel amazing, and others you’ll feel like you’ve taken ten steps back. That’s normal. Don’t let the bad days convince you that you haven’t made progress.
I’ve learned to trust the process—even when it’s messy. The truth is, anxiety might always be a part of my life. But it doesn’t have to define me. With the right tools, CBT, therapy, medication, and a whole lot of self-compassion, I’ve built a life where I can finally say, with confidence, this too shall pass.
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