Can You Get Rid of Anxiety? Debunking the Myth: “Once You Have Anxiety, You Can’t Get Rid of It”
Anxiety is one of the most common mental health challenges worldwide, affecting millions of people. Often, those who struggle with anxiety hear the discouraging phrase, “Once you have anxiety, you can’t get rid of it.” While it’s true that anxiety is a natural part of life and often reoccurs, this statement misrepresents how anxiety works, suggesting that it’s an inescapable life sentence.
Understanding Anxiety: The Body’s Natural Alarm System
Anxiety is an emotion characterized by feelings of tension, worried thoughts, and physical changes like increased heart rate and sweating. From an evolutionary perspective, anxiety helped our ancestors survive by preparing the body to respond to threats—a response known as “fight or flight” (American Psychological Association, 2013). In this sense, anxiety is not inherently bad. It’s a natural part of being human, a biological mechanism that can keep us alert and safe.
However, anxiety becomes problematic when it is excessive, persistent, and interferes with daily life. This is when it transitions from being a normal response to a disorder, such as generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), panic disorder, or social anxiety disorder (National Institute of Mental Health, 2016).
Can Anxiety Be “Cured”?
The short answer is both yes and no. While there is no permanent, one-size-fits-all “cure” for anxiety, there are numerous interventions and strategies that can effectively reduce its intensity and frequency. In fact, many people who undergo interventions experience significant relief, sometimes to the point where they no longer consider anxiety a central part of their life.
The myth that anxiety can’t be cured stems from misunderstandings about mental health and the nature of anxiety itself. Anxiety is not something that always “goes away” entirely because it’s linked to our natural stress responses. However, anxiety disorders, which involve chronic and excessive worry, can often be managed to the point where they no longer have a significant impact on one’s life. Treatment can help retrain the brain and body to respond differently to stressors, reducing the severity of anxious feelings.
Evidence-Based Treatments: What Really Works?
There are several well-researched approaches to managing and even reducing anxiety.
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): One of the most effective treatments for anxiety is cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). CBT works by helping individuals recognize and challenge irrational or distorted thoughts that fuel anxiety, replacing them with more balanced, realistic thinking patterns. Studies show that CBT can lead to long-lasting improvements in people with anxiety disorders (Hofmann et al., 2012). After undergoing CBT, many people experience fewer anxiety symptoms, and some may find their anxiety becomes virtually undetectable in everyday life.
- Mindfulness and Relaxation Techniques: Mindfulness-based practices, such as meditation and deep breathing exercises, have gained increasing attention for their ability to reduce anxiety. Mindfulness teaches individuals to stay present and observe their thoughts without judgment, which helps prevent the spiral of anxious thinking. A study by Hofmann et al. (2010) found that mindfulness-based interventions were effective in reducing symptoms of anxiety, depression, and stress.
- Lifestyle Changes: Regular physical activity, sufficient sleep, and a balanced diet can have a profound effect on anxiety levels. Exercise, in particular, has been shown to reduce symptoms of anxiety due to the release of endorphins, which are natural mood elevators (Harvard Medical School, 2020).
- Medication: For some individuals, especially those with more severe forms of anxiety, medication can play a role in managing symptoms (Baldwin et al., 2014). While medications don’t “cure” anxiety, they can provide relief by altering brain chemistry to make anxiety more manageable.
Anxiety as a Chronic Condition: Is It Always There?
For some, anxiety may be a chronic condition that requires long-term management. Like asthma or diabetes, it may not “go away” entirely, but it can be controlled with the right strategies and treatment. It’s important to note, though, that having a predisposition to anxiety doesn’t mean you are destined to suffer from it forever. Many individuals experience long periods of their lives without significant anxiety symptoms after receiving intervention, practicing coping mechanisms, and making lifestyle changes.
The Role of Relapses: Part of the Process
Relapses, or periods when anxiety returns after treatment, can happen, but they are not a sign of failure. Anxiety often comes and goes in waves, particularly when stressful life events trigger it. The key is recognizing that having a relapse does not mean treatment hasn’t worked or that anxiety will dominate your life forever.
So, Can You Get Rid of Anxiety?
While it may not be possible to “erase” anxiety from your life entirely, it is absolutely possible to reduce it to a level where it no longer dominates your daily experience. With effective treatment and lifestyle adjustments, many people find themselves living with only low level of anxiety or at very tolerable level, and can cope well with it. Even in cases where anxiety does return, it is often manageable and far less debilitating than before. The idea that anxiety is something you “can’t get rid of” may stem from misunderstanding the nature of mental health. Anxiety can ebb and flow over time, but with the right tools, its impact on your life can be greatly minimized.
Conclusion
The myth that “once you have anxiety, you can’t get rid of it” is misleading and disempowering. Anxiety is a natural human response, and while you may not be able to eliminate it entirely, you can certainly manage and reduce it to live a fuller, more peaceful life. With the right combination of psychotherapy, lifestyle changes, mindfulness practices, and sometimes medication, many people find they can successfully navigate anxiety and even feel largely free from its grip.
Author: Linh Nguyen, B. Psychology (Hons), M. ClinPsych
Linh is a Registered Psychologist at Vision and M1 Psychology. Her educational background includes a Bachelor of Psychological Science (Hons), and she has completed her Postgraduate Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology.
To make an appointment with Linh Nguyen try Online Booking. Alternatively, you can call M1 Psychology Loganholme on (07) 3067 9129.