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Getting Extra Help: A Friendly Guide to Taming Your Thoughts

Getting Extra Help
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Sometimes, our brains can feel like a browser with too many tabs open at once. One tab is worrying about a test, another is replaying an awkward conversation, and a third is fretting about something that might happen next week. It’s exhausting. If you’ve ever felt this way, you should know that getting some extra help is a strong and smart thing to do. It’s like calling in a coach when you want to get better at a sport. This kind of help teaches you two powerful skills: how to handle your busy thoughts and how to move forward even when you feel stuck.

The first part is all about making peace with your thoughts. Right now, you might be fighting with them, trying to push the scary or sad ones away. But what if you stopped fighting? Imagine your thoughts are like cars driving past your house. You can see them coming, you can notice their color and size, and you can let them drive right on by without jumping in the passenger seat. You don’t have to believe every thought that pops into your head. A thought is just a thought—it’s not a command or a fact. By learning to watch your thoughts without getting tangled up in them, you take away their power to scare you. It’s not about emptying your mind, but about changing your relationship with the noise inside it.

The second, and just as important part, is about taking action. When worry takes over, it’s easy to freeze up and do nothing. The goal here is to start doing what matters to you, even if you feel a little nervous. This isn’t about doing huge, scary things all at once. It’s about small, brave steps. If you worry about friends, a small step could be texting one to say hello. If you worry about school, a small step could be spending just ten minutes on your homework. The trick is to do these things while carrying the worry with you, instead of waiting for the worry to vanish first. Every small action you take builds confidence and proves to your brain that you can handle difficult feelings.

Getting this kind of help means working with a friendly guide who won’t tell you what to do, but will help you figure out your own path. They provide a safe space to untangle the messy thoughts and help you practice those small, brave steps. Remember, asking for this help isn’t a sign of weakness. It’s a sign that you’re ready to learn new skills to calm the storm in your mind and start living your life more fully, one small step at a time.

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Quick Tips

How do I stop my thoughts from controlling me?

You don’t stop the thoughts; you change your relationship with them. Imagine your annoying thoughts are like a radio playing in another room. You can still hear it, but you don’t have to turn it up or try to break the radio. You can just let it play and focus on what you’re doing. The trick is to notice the thought without getting into a fight with it. This gives you the power to choose your next move, instead of your anxiety choosing for you.

How do I take action when I feel so anxious?

You start with small, manageable steps. You don’t have to wait for the fear to disappear. Feel the anxiety, acknowledge it, and do what matters to you anyway. If talking to someone makes you nervous, you could start by just saying “hello.“ Action builds confidence. It teaches your brain that you can handle difficult feelings. Courage isn’t the absence of fear; it’s moving forward even when you feel scared.

What does “accepting thoughts” actually mean?

Accepting your thoughts simply means making space for them without judgment. It doesn’t mean you like them or agree with them. It’s like acknowledging a cloud passing in the sky—you see it, but you don’t have to stop it or argue with it. You let it be there and continue with your day. This stops the struggle, which often makes anxiety worse. It’s about being kind to yourself and allowing all your feelings to exist.

What is the main goal of this kind of therapy?

The main goal is to help you live your life fully, even when you have anxious thoughts. Instead of fighting your feelings or waiting for them to go away, you learn to let them be. This frees you up to focus on what truly matters to you. Think of it like learning to carry a noisy backpack—you don’t try to empty it, you just learn to walk with it so you can still go on the hike you wanted. You take charge of your actions, not your thoughts.

Can this help with the physical feelings of anxiety?

Yes, absolutely. When you stop fighting your anxious thoughts, your body often starts to calm down too. The physical feelings—like a fast heartbeat or shaky hands—are part of the anxiety package. By accepting the worried thoughts without panic, you send a signal to your body that there’s no emergency. This can turn down the volume on those physical symptoms over time. You learn to ride out the wave of physical feelings until it passes.