It’s true – nobody can heal for someone else, or take all their anxieties off their hands and seal them away neatly. Dealing with anxiety is not an easy thing to do. There are several techniques one can use on their own, and many caring professionals ready to help. Still, the afflicted person is the one who has all the agency when it comes to deciding when to begin healing.
Don’t misconstrue this message simply as one of questioning willpower – just the opposite. There is a reason that reaching out for help is considered to be the most challenging step. For anyone afflicted with anxiety, reaching out stands in stark contrast to how their body wants to react in any situation. It involves being vulnerable and jumping blindly into the unknown ahead of them, where strangers will guide them down a path they’ve never seen. While wanting to get better can be interpreted as “I don’t want to feel this anxiety anymore,” the nuance is much more complicated. It doesn’t just involve a desire to rid oneself of anxiety. It also requires an openness to what comes after.
Anxious people often become convinced that change is impossible or even undesirable. When considering this, the old adage of “the demon you know is better than the demon you don’t” becomes more and more real. Wanting to heal, then, is inviting all of those fears and unknowns into a person’s mind at once to address them in force. Healing is more complicated than simply wanting not to feel a certain way anymore, it is exploring the deepest unknown one can experience. Things like that tend to awaken a bit of anxiety.
Taking that step really is half the battle. It’s not just the feeling of needing help, it’s acknowledging the strength to defy everything that the body is saying to look towards a future. That’s the power of the first step.
At Alta Loma Transformational Living, you will meet knowledgeable, compassionate professionals that understand addiction in all its forms. Alta Loma uses an integrative and holistic approach to treat addiction and mental health issues. No treatment is one-size-fits-all, where you will have a team of experts prepared to create your customized treatment plan. We offer care for your mind, body, and spirit, so that you can heal from the inside out and look forward to a lifetime of sobriety and wellness. If you are ready to take the first step in your recovery, please call us at 866-457-3843.
