5 Ways We Hide Our Anxiety

Anxiety is a Normal Response

Anxiety is a normal response to stressful situations but when it gets out of hand, can lead to intense distress, obsessive thoughts, phobias and even panic attacks. 😱​

When we feel ashamed of this, we can try to hide it from others out of self-protection.

Mindfully recognizing the ways we act like we’re okay, when we’re not, is the first step.

Being able to acknowledge anxiety with curiosity and kindness helps us understand and attend to it better. 💚

1.  Smiling

Smiling can be a strategy to hide our anxiety as it’s the exact opposite reaction than observers would imagine in someone who’s feeling anxious.  (aka: reaction formation)

2.  Making Jokes

Making people laugh can distract others from seeing our anxiety.
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It can also be a self-protective attempt to avoid external judgments & our own self-criticism.

3.  Isolating

When it feels impossible to be around others and fake being okay, we can isolate ourselves.

It’s also a way to avoid the shame we feel for being anxious.

4.  Lashing Out

If we’re feeling anxious, we can lash out on others to pretend we’re more powerful than we feel.

Projecting our angst onto others can lessen out internal distress.

5.  Over Talking

Leaving little room for dialogue can be a way to act like we’re feeling more confident than we are.

It also gives us a way to try and get rid of the anxiety we feel.

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