What If Anxiety Isn’t a Sign There’s Something Wrong with You?

Reexamine your limits

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Anxiety is an emotion we often label as unwanted. When we feel anxiety, the first instinct is to avoid or suppress it, believing there’s something wrong with us. Still, anxiety is much more than an uncomfortable feeling — it is a signal that something demands our attention, a change, or that we are facing challenges that can help us grow.

Maybe it is a signal that your relationships or the permissions you give to others aren’t following your needs. Anxiety can be a reminder to reflect on your needs and values.

Anxiety isn't there to torture us for no reason. In its essence, anxiety is a natural reaction of your body and mind to stress or a potential danger. It prepares us for “fight or flight” in situations we perceive as threatening. This reaction is useful when the threat is real and direct.

Still, in the modern world, where real physical dangers are getting rare, our mind often projects anxiety even to situations that aren’t truly dangerous. Anxiety can be a sign that something in our everyday life demands our attention or change — whether it’s too much stress, unfulfilled needs, or internal conflicts.

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Anxiety can be a signal that:
- You are undergoing emotional overload.
- You are missing support and understanding.
- You spend too much time on other people’s expectations and neglect your own.

And while you keep neglecting all these signals, you may believe in the following: “There’s something wrong with me”, “This will never go away”, and “This means that I am weak”.

If we saw anxiety as a useful signal, we could use it productively. For example, anxiety can encourage us to question our circumstances…