I get asked many times: ‘How did you give up your battle with anxiety?’

I tell people that my recovery came through making plenty of mistakes – no one made as many mistakes as I did in the early days of my suffering. One week, I thought I had the answer, that this was it, the end of my suffering. When in reality, all I had found was something else to cover it up or suppress for a while.

I went from one technique to another, one concept to the next; I was always struggling with my anxiety until I finally realised that I never had any control in the first place – that nothing I could achieve peace through struggle or effort.

I saw my suffering like a snow globe that only settles when you stop shaking it. It was obvious to me now that I could never force peace of mind, fight or think my way better. I got to this point by exhausting every avenue until I now understood that battling how I felt was not the answer.

Giving up the battle with anxiety

Giving up the struggle with anxiety

When I finally gave up this battle with myself, I felt a little calmer; it was like my body was sending me a message that this was it, that this was the answer to being free, and now I had to listen.

It was through this that I started to think about how our mind and body communicate with us, and had a profound realisation that our mind and body are always guiding us.

If we drink too much, then we get a hangover; it is our body’s way of saying it is not good for us.

If we put our hand on a hot stove, then we feel intense pain and immediately remove it.

If we eat bad food, then we get a stomachache or get sick, it is our body’s way of saying, Don’t eat that again, it is not good for us.

If a snake were biting our foot and we didn’t feel immediate pain, it would chew it off, so our body sends a message before this happens.

If we feel pain anywhere inside our body, it is our body’s way of saying there is a problem in that area, and to go and seek a doctor and fix it.

So pain is a good thing and a vital part of our survival; it is a warning system and not there to punish us. We only continue to suffer when we carry on doing the things that are causing it, our mind or body is communicating to us that we still haven’t seen the source of our pain.

The same happens if I spend too much time writing a post on here without breaks. When I begin to write, I feel inspired, and the words just flow out of me. But I find that after a few hours, my mind starts getting irritable, my enthusiasm starts to drop, and my wisdom begins to weaken.

My mind is sending me a message that it needs a break; it has had enough for now. Once I heed the message, take a break and come back, then I feel refreshed and can write freely and happily once again.

I know the importance of now listening to my mind and body and doing what it asks me to do and not trying to force it into something it doesn’t.

Psychological pain is our body’s way of telling us to stop battling with ourselves

Man in mental pain

If we feel stressed, it is our body’s way of telling us to stop worrying, as it is doing us harm. If we are physically exhausted, then it is our body’s way of communicating to us that we are overusing our limbs and to take a rest.

Psychological pain is the same. The brain is an organ of the body, just like a limb. So, if we start to feel mentally exhausted, it is our mind’s way of telling us to slow down the thinking process and take a break, as the brain is being pushed beyond its limits.

Many don’t heed this initial message and so carry on overthinking, worrying, or working too hard and then cross a threshold, which can ultimately lead to a breakdown.

There will be many warnings before a final breakdown happens; it is just that the person did not heed them and carried on as they were. Eventually, the mind and body can no longer operate under those circumstances, so a breakdown of the mind and body occurs.

We create our own suffering

If you feel any kind of suffering, then there is usually a message that something you are doing is causing you to suffer; it is like an alarm that will keep going off until you listen. This message is never asking you to stress and worry more; it doesn’t even want you to treat the symptoms you are creating. It just wants you to stop doing what is causing the suffering in the first place.

When I felt overly anxious, it was my body’s way of telling me to stop worrying and stressing, as it was not good for me. When I felt mentally fatigued, it was my mind’s way of telling me to stop overthinking, obsessing and analysing. My mind and body were always communicating with me; they were continually trying to look after me and warn me that what I was doing was not serving me well.

I finally listened to this and many other messages it sent, and was able to become the person I am today.

How I recovered from 10 years of Anxiety

My book, At Last a Life, has sold over 200,000 copies worldwide and tells the story of how I recovered from 10 years of anxiety and panic.

If you’re tired of trying endless techniques and just want your life back, At Last a Life explains the understanding and approach that helped me fully recover and has helped countless others do the same.

Get the eBook instantly, or order the physical paperback or audiobook directly through my secure shop. 👉 Order Direct from My Shop

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Paul David
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