Improve Your Relationship with Anxiety in 2025

Despite resolutions to “cure” your anxiety (this may be your second, third, or fourth year in a row with this goal), chances are it will be joining you in the new year. While it may be unattainable to be anxiety free, it is very possible to develop a healthier relationship with it.

Allow anxiety to be there.

My number one tip for creating a better relationship with your anxiety is to stop fighting it. What we resist persists. Imagine you are out on a picnic on a beautiful spring day. Everything is great, but there is a pesky fly that won’t leave you alone. Maybe it’s buzzing in your ear, trying to eat your fruit. Despite your efforts to move to a new spot or shoo it away, it keeps coming back. By trying to get rid of the fly, you probably aren’t having fun with your picnic partner or appreciating the warm sun on your face. Had you let the fly be there, although slightly annoying and uncomfortable, you could have been more present and enjoyed the picnic. Eventually, you may even look back and realize that the fly had flown away on its own. 

Understand that anxiety is only trying to protect you. 

Think of it like an overly concerned friend. They mean well. Anxiety is present when our brain is perceiving some type of threat, however the thoughts and feelings that come along with anxiety can create even more fear. Proper psychoeducation is one of the many benefits of seeking help from a mental health professional. If accessible to you, make this the year you find a therapist who uses evidence-based interventions like Exposure & Response Prevention (ERP), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT.) 

Don’t let anxiety dictate your every move. 

You’re letting it be there, yes, but you’re in the driver’s seat. As the driver, you make the choice where you go and what you do. This allows you to take the power back and be the boss in the relationship! 

So, what will you do this year? If you’ve been putting off plans until your anxiety “flies away,” don’t wait, book that trip you’ve been dreaming of, seek out a new job opportunity or relationship. With time, you will learn to tolerate anxiety, and it may even “bug” you less.