With anxiety, life sometimes feels like a waking nightmare. It’s like a veil of negativity is thrown over everything you think, feel, and do. Life can feel claustrophobic as more and more restrictions seem to interfere, making it hard to be spontaneous or relaxed. And the worst thing is you may not even understand why any of it is happening, nor can the people around you. It may seem like people explain away your anxiety as a bad attitude, to being oversensitive, or simply expect you to cheer up because they’ve thoughtfully explained all the reasons why your fears don’t make any logical sense.

But it’s never that simple, is it? In this book, we’re taking a closer look at what anxiety is, how it works, and how you can learn to live a life that feels good to you despite experiencing anxiety. Stressful overthinking can feel like a trap, like something you can never escape or fix. But you can! If you’re ready to make a genuine change, to take care of yourself, and to take some powerful first steps toward a low-anxiety life, then this book is a great place to start.

First things first: anxiety is a legitimate psychological phenomenon—you are not wrong or stupid or crazy. And you’re not a bad person just because you haven’t figured out how to free yourself from anxiety yet. I was diagnosed with GAD—Generalized Anxiety Disorder—when I was just eighteen, even though to be honest, the symptoms had been with me long before that. My life was ruled by FEAR. But today, I can honestly say that I have learned not to let anxiety control me, and one of the first steps to recovering was to let go of the habit of self-criticizing, self-blame, or feeling ashamed about how I was feeling.

Now, anxiety is not your fault, but it is your responsibility. What I mean is that I didn’t choose to have anxiety—but I could always choose to do what it took to get out of its clutches. When I realized that I did have control over my life and that I had a say in how my life played out, I felt empowered to be better. It was (still is!) a long, personal, and challenging journey. But I don’t regret a thing—except perhaps not believing in myself and starting sooner!

This book has been written for you if you have reached that point in your life where you feel like anxiety has you in its clutches and won’t let go.