The first thing you’ll learn in therapy is that you’re not trying to stop the anxiety, you’re trying to find better coping mechanisms. And once you have those, the anxieties tend to lessen dramatically. 

You also learn what triggers the anxiety. And then once you recognize the trigger, you can properly cope 

Triggers aren’t as straightforward as we think so it’s helpful to discover the root

I learned a lot and am better off for it!

Therapy changed everything for me. It took me years to find the right therapist and the right kind of therapy (turns out it was CBT) but it has given me the coping skills I need for my anxiety, trauma and grief. As far as stopping anxiety, sadly, that's a lifelong thing, but therapy has taught me what to do (and not do) when it strikes. 

I used to be a skeptic too, but I’m sure that it is a good way to learn coping skills. The key is probably finding the right therapist, and I wish I knew how to go about it. It’s important, I think, for everyone to remember that the last few years haven’t been easy for anyone as well, and that you aren’t alone in feeling the way that you do.

Oh MIL, therapy is wonderful. It's less about fixing and more about establishing solutions that will help with anxiety. Also, it helps you become more aware of your reactions/emotions and the tools to respond in healthy and mature ways. My therapist actually stopped me in our first session and said, "I'm not going to FIX anything. you are who you are." So I'd come at it from that POV. 1/2 

It also helps the other people in your life.  People in your life will probably be thankful that you are considering therapy because our anxieties manifest in ways that directly affect those around us. Think about it as something you can do for both yourself and those in your life. They'll thank you! 

There's the joke that goes something like: "I go to therapy to deal with the people that won't go." Be apart of the solution! Embrace it! Good luck!  

I admit: I'm a therapy skeptic. Not for other people — I fully believe it does so much good for so many people. Yet, for me? I'm guessing it's the Irish in me, but I'm convinced I can just power through any emotional turmoil, and that therapy is unlikely to solve any of my problems.

But, I've been dealing with some pretty heavy anxiety recently, and my friends keep saying the same thing to me: therapy. But I feel like... how could it actually change how I feel? Like, there's no way I STOP feeling this anxiety.

How did therapy change you?