Seven years ago, today I tested my Anxiety and found it vastly reduced.

I celebrate each July 5th. It marks the last session I had overcoming the worst of decades of anxiety and depression. Feeling lazy, stupid, panicky, over-analysing everything, feeling worthless, my mind racing keeping me awake for hours every night, avoiding people, being incapable of sitting in a classroom, and so much more misery was the reality of life.

I new nothing else. I believed I could never succeed. There was no way I could make a presentation in front of ‘real people’. Feeling lesser was the norm.

On the 5th of July 2011 I left the office of a wonderful therapist and drove to Dublin. There I spent the week in a class and made a presentation! It might sound small, but it was massive for me.

The anxiety’s back was broken. Life was getting much easier.
It wasn’t an on/off thing. There was no lightning bolt and suddenly everything changed.

Life isn’t binary. It’s not all or nothing, but our thinking goes that way when we feel bad. Life is a continuum. So are our emotions.

My anxiety had stepped down from Awful to Mild and was fading. Each time I did something I previously couldn’t do I realised how much better things were.

It’s been seven great years. No more depression, no more anxiety. I’ve gone from panic attacks about groups of people to speaking to full rooms and loving it. (It still feels weird to say that as that was my worse nightmare in the past).

I went from holding back to where I now help people week after week in clinic. Train therapists at a distance on 4 continents, and with a following in over 100 countries. It feels bizarre to me that things could change so much in such a short time.

Over three and a half decades of anxiety disappeared in a few months. The world changed for me.

I’m not alone. Many, many people take action each year and improve their lives. It’s not all plain sailing, but until we try we can’t change.

I hope someone out there finds the courage to take their first step to change today. There are lots of people out there who can help, no matter where you are in the world.

In many ways the 5th of July is my Independence Day. For most people it’s just another day. Not for me.

I’m always happy to help people trying to overcome anxiety or trauma. If you’d like to contact me I’ll put my details below. If you’re a long way from me feel free to get in touch and I’ll see who in your area I can find for you. There are always options – as long as we’re looking for them.

Have a great week, and have hope.

John