My life was thrown into chaos at 6 years old.

My sister was born. My parents split. And I moved not once, but twice into unfamiliar houses in an unfamiliar city.

My subconscious adopted the belief that I wasn't safe and the world was a scary place.

By the time I was a teenager, this belief had crystallized and anxiety completely controlled my worldview.

I used to be afraid to sleep in my own bed.

I used to have low self-esteem and no confidence.

I used to try and fit in by people-pleasing.

It wasn't until I hit rock bottom in my late 20's that enough space could open for me to make a change.

If I woke up tomorrow back in that 6 year old's bed, here's what I'd do immediately to save decades of suffering with anxiety:

1. Commit to a practitioner mindset

After years of struggling with anxiety I finally realized no one and nothing was coming to save me. I either had to face the fact that anxiety was in my life, or continue to be at its mercy, resisting it.

Committing to showing up daily and practicing towards incremental progress gave me the start I needed to actually improve my situation.

2. Recognize my fearful programming and worst case scenario thinking

My lack of awareness for almost 30 years allowed the subconscious belief that I was unsafe to fester and grow into a monster in my mind.

Once I could notice my tendency to project worst case scenarios onto neutral events, I cut off the fuel (fearful thinking) anxiety relied on to keep me trapped.

3. Develop a customized tool-kit based on evidence

Anxiety doesn't give a shit about your theories. It shows up day in and day out with one goal and one goal only in mind. Pull you out of the present and make you afraid.

You can talk until you're blue in the face about how to deal with, handle, or manage anxiety. But when push comes to shove and you're in the midst of an anxiety hurricane, you need proven techniques to help you through.

I worked for years to develop a customized tool-kit I could rely on, not because someone else told me it worked, but because I had evidence from my own life that it did.

4. Become proud of the person I am

When we gather evidence through consistent action that we are the type of person we want to be, we feel good about ourselves and close the windows of opportunity for anxiety to peek its head in and try and convince us to be afraid.

I would have started building discipline, gratitude, and acceptance much earlier had I understood this principle.

Using this exact formula I completely changed my life. If I had started at 6 years old I wouldn’t have had to endure hell during my teenage years and onwards into my 20's.

If you want to be free from anxiety, the best time to start was decades ago. The second best time to start is now.

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