And I'll see you in the next one. But what if I told you anxiety isn't actually a part of who you are? Today, we're going to talk about why anxiety feels so permanent and why it's not. Because no matter how long you felt this way, no matter how much anxiety has convinced you that this is just who you are, you are more than your anxious thoughts. Hi, and welcome back to Block Out the Noise. This is your go-to podcast for teens and young adults who are ready to quiet the noise of anxiety, self-doubt, and overthinking. I'm Jessica Davis, a licensed therapist, mindset coach for teens and young adults, and the creator of The Courage Method, a framework designed to help you take control over your thoughts, trust yourself, and build the confidence to move forward. If you've ever felt like anxiety is just a part of who you are, like you'll never get better, like your future will always be shaped by fear, This episode is for you. Just a quick reminder, this podcast is here to support and guide you, but it is not a substitute for professional mental health care. If you're in a crisis, please contact emergency services. And if you ever need a little extra support, the survival anxiety toolkit is there for you. It's full of practical tools you can use anytime self-doubt tries to take over. You can grab it free in the show notes. Anxiety might feel like it's always been a part of you. but that doesn't mean it always has to be. All right, let's cut through the noise and get started. I had a client share something once that really stuck with me. They said, if I didn't have anxiety, I don't even know who I'd be. And I could feel the fear in their voice. It convinced them that they needed anxiety to stay prepared, to work hard, to be aware of everything that could go wrong. The idea of living without anxiety didn't just seem impossible. It felt like losing a part of themselves. But I told them, anxiety isn't what makes you hardworking or makes you thoughtful. It's not what makes you you. The best parts of you won't go away because your anxiety decreases. When you stop believing anxiety is a part of your identity, you realize something powerful. You are still you without it. I'm going to walk you through two steps to help you separate yourself from anxiety so you can start seeing who you really are underneath all that fear. The first step is understanding that fear isn't fact. Anxiety is so convincing. It tells you stories that feel so real you start to believe them. Stories like, I'll always feel this way, or I can't change, or even if I don't worry about everything, something bad will happen. But just because you feel something doesn't mean it's true. Try this. Next time anxiety starts spinning those thoughts, ask yourself, is this actually happening or is this my brain making predictions? Most of the time, anxiety isn't based on facts. It's based on what ifs. For example, you're about to send a text message and anxiety says they're going to think I'm annoying. Pause. Ask yourself, do I actually know that? Or am I assuming? When you start questioning those thoughts, you stop treating them as facts. You could even go a step further by looking for evidence. Are those thoughts actually true? So if we use the same example, they're going to think I'm annoying. You could ask yourself, what evidence do I have of that? Have they ever said that before? Do they seem annoyed when I'm around them? Do they often ignore my messages? Look for the actual facts instead of just believing your anxious thoughts. Now, some of you might be thinking, but what if the evidence points to them actually not wanting me to be around or that I am annoying to them? Well, if someone doesn't appreciate you for you, they aren't your people. And the answer isn't to change yourself to fit what they want. Because changing who you are often just makes them like you even less and makes you lose the best parts of who you are. Instead, focus on finding the people who do appreciate you. And if you haven't found them yet, use this time to focus on growing as a person. Invest in yourself because confidence doesn't mean you are liked by everyone. It's being secure and knowing you don't have to be. Step two is proving that you are more than anxiety. For years, you've been carrying anxiety like a heavy backpack. At first, it was probably unbearable, but over time you got used to it. And now, even though it's exhausting, you've carried it for so long, you don't even know what it feels like without it. Here's how you can start letting go of that weight step by step. Write down or say three things that you like about yourself. Now ask, would I still have these traits if my anxiety wasn't so strong? Now I want you to write down or say three times you handled something well without anxiety making the decision for you. So maybe it would be like filling out job applications, even though you were worried that you weren't going to get the job or that you spoke up in class, even when it felt scary or even ending a healthy relationship, though you don't have many friends and you're afraid you're going to be lonely. Writing this down may look like, I thought I couldn't handle the conversation with my teacher, but I did, and I got through it. Or even, I was nervous about going to that event, but I went anyway, and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. The more you prove to yourself that you are more than your anxious thoughts, the lighter it starts to feel. Ask yourself this, if anxiety wasn't in control, who would I be? What parts of me exist beyond the overthinking, the fear, the self-doubt? Those parts of you are still there. Anxiety didn't create those things. You did. And anxiety doesn't get to take them away. So here's my challenge to you. Tonight, before you go to bed, write down one thing about yourself that has nothing to do with anxiety. One quality, one strength, one thing that makes you you. And tomorrow, look for proof that it's true. Because the more you see yourself beyond anxiety, the less it has control over you. And it brings you one step closer to who you really are. Before we wrap up, let's go over what we talked about today. For so long, anxiety has convinced you that it's part of who you are. That without it, you wouldn't be prepared or as motivated or as in control. But that's not true. Today, you started separating who you are from what your anxiety has told you. You've learned that fear isn't fact. Just because you felt this way for a long time doesn't mean it will always be this way. Remember that change doesn't have to be big changes to be real. You don't have to fix everything overnight, nor can you. You don't have to force yourself to suddenly being fearless. You just have to start small. One step, one decision, one moment where you remind yourself, I am more than my anxiety. Thank you so much for listening. Until next time, keep moving forward. Trust yourself. And never forget, you have what it takes to block out the noise.