The 3 Stages of Anxiety Recovery (That You MUST Understand)

 Understanding the stages of the recovery process is a critical part of recovering from anxiety. That’s because recovery is not linear – it has it’s ups and downs, triumphs and setbacks. And If you aren’t prepared for this, you can easily get thrown off course and see your recovery derailed forever. But we’re not going to let that happen, so today we’re going to dive into what the three (3) Stages of Anxiety Recovery look like. 

Alright, if you haven’t already, you need to get on the recovery path. For that, I have the 5-Step Cure to Anxiety and Panic Attacks in the link below. It’s completely free and it’s going to be your roadmap for recovering from anxiety.

OK, let’s start with the big question: When will I begin to feel better? The answer to that question is simple. You’ll start feeling better when you lose your fear of anxiety. When you’re no longer afraid of whether you’re anxiety will show up, and you're not afraid of any of the strange and intense sensations. When this happens, there is going to be a massive shift in your sense of well-being.  It’s like the sun finally begins to shine through the dark, gloomy clouds that have hung over you and you start to feel a heck of a lot better.   

But here’s the thing—you can’t turn off an overactive nervous system instantly. It’s not like flipping off a light switch and your anxiety is gone. Instead, I want you to think of your anxiety like a bonfire, like the type you’d have in your backyard. When you respond to anxiety in the wrong way, when you resist against your anxiety with fear and tension, that’s like you throwing logs onto the fire, making them burn hotter and longer. But once you start responding to your anxiety in the right way, that’s you not adding more logs to the fire. The fire will then gradually die down and eventually extinguish. Then you are completely free from anxiety and all its strange sensations. As a side note, if you don’t already know how to approach anxiety in the right way, make sure you download the 5-Step Cure to Anxiety and Panic Attacks in the link below.

Alright, let’s take a look at the three stages.

Stage 1: This is where many of you might be right now. Maybe you have started applying what we’ve learned on this channel, and implementing the Fearless Approach each time you experience anxiety. But you're not seeing any significant changes in your anxiety yet, and that can be unnerving. I remember during my own recovery, this was the toughest part of recovery. That’s because I wanted confirmation that I was on the right path - that the new approach that I had with my anxiety was working and that I was going to recover. But with me, and the vast majority of my clients, there are no noticeable improvements in your anxiety in the first few weeks. So, if you’re in this early stage of recovery right now, I want you to know that it’s perfectly normal if you’re not feeling differently yet. 

In this stage, I like to remind my clients that they are making progress even those they can’t see that progress. I like to draw the comparison to bamboo. Did you know that bamboo can barely be seen for the first five years of its life as it builds extensive root systems underground, but then explodes ninety feet into the air within just six weeks. Well, like bamboo, your progress at the beginning of recovery won’t be visible. You likely won’t notice any difference in your symptoms. However, just like the bamboo developing roots underground, the healing and desensitization of your nervous system is well underway.

Stage 2: After a few weeks, you'll start to notice subtle changes. Your panic attacks will have completely stopped and the intensity of your anxiety dials back a notch or two. It’s certainly not all smooth sailing yet, but there are these brief moments when you feel almost back to normal. For instance, it might be that you’re going through part of your day and suddenly you realize that you didn’t think about your anxiety at all for the past 20 minutes. That’s a huge win because it shows that you’re beginning to lose your fear of anxiety and that allows your brain to focus on other things.

Stage 3: This is the longest and most transformative stage. It's where the real shifts happen. You’ll find yourself having more good days than bad, and the dark clouds of anxiety aren’t always looming over you. But again, recovery is not a linear process; it’s full of ups and downs. There will be times when it feels like you take two steps forward and one step back. But in general, your recovery is on an upward trajectory. 

This is a really incredible stage and it produces an almost euphoric feeling at times. That’s because it’s in this stage that your energy levels really start to come back, your motivation returns, and you start enjoying life a heck of a lot more. So, life is no longer just about surviving; instead, you’re back to living with purpose and excitement. For me, personally, this was one of the best periods of my life - it produced almost this natural high. That’s because I knew with 100% certainty that I was getting close to a full recovery. I could literally feel my body returning back to its normal state. I had the energy and confidence to do the things I used to do before anxiety. I was able to focus on projects at work again, I could go to the gym and have a good workout, and I could take trips with my fiance and my friends. It was a truly unforgettable time in my life. And that’s exactly what’s going to happen to you. You are going to progress through these stages of recovery and soon begin to feel your normal life returning.

Yes, I know the journey of recovery isn’t easy, but you’re not alone. I’m here with you, and together, you’re going to make it to a full recovery, I promise.