8 Best TED Talks For Anxiety
We need to work on our anxiety if we want it to get better. One of the best things to do if you have anxiety is to inform yourself through watching TED talks.
TED talks help me manage my mental health. Not just TED talks for anxiety, but also Depression, Trichotillomania and building self confidence.
They help you to put everything into perspective, and make you see anxiety from a different point of view.
They make you realise that it is not only you who suffers.
I have shared the 8 Best TED talks for anxiety that I have watched below! I hope they help you too.
1. Don’t Believe Everything You Think : Lauren Weinstein
My favourite TED talk about anxiety!
Lauren’s story is so relatable that anyone with anxiety needs to watch. She describes how we start out life as bold and confident and somewhere along the way this turns into timidness and fear.
We need to break free from the ropes of self doubt that bind you in these beliefs, that we might not have even noticed exist!
The ropes say ‘dont speak out’, ‘dont stand out’, and we are controlled by our fear of failure.
We have the power to change our own lives if we start breaking these ropes 1 by 1.
2. 3 Ways To Cope With Anxiety : Olivia Remes
This talk is about 3 ways in which we can lower our anxiety and improve our coping strategies:
1. Stop censoring your voice and actions in case of offending anyone or not being liked. This will only make the anxiety worse. Be yourself!
2. Spend time with people who treat you well. It can be weird when someone shows genuine interest in you as you have such low self esteem and you think you are undeserving of good treatment. Ask yourself what is so wrong with being treated well?
3. Treat yourself like someone you love. The most important relationship you will ever have is with yourself.
Olivia’s talk is motivational to help you improve your work or personal relationships. Using these 3 techniques you will start to see yourself as an independent thinker. It is comforting to know that confidence is a skill that can be developed with practice, and you won’t be stuck with low self esteem and anxiety forever.
3. How I Live With High-Functioning Anxiety : Jordan Raskopoulos
Jordan’s talk is pretty fun to watch. She explains how she is only confident on stage but crumbles in other situations.
She talks about her high functioning anxiety. A lot of people are surprised at this because she seems like a loud confident person much of the time, but is crippled with anxiety turning into a shy person at other times.
4. Be The Warrior Not The Worrier – Angela Ceberano
In this TED talk Angela speaks about conquering fears on a daily basis and to stop living in your safety bubble.
To really overcome anxiety, we need to stop hiding behind work and places that we feel comfortable.
Do this by really thinking about what makes you anxious – once you know this, you can make it a project to tackle these head on. Do what you always wanted to do but have been too scared.
This will help transform your life day by day to become happier and more fulfilling.
5. Breaking Free From Anxiety : Mel Schwartz
Mel says our anxiety stems from the need to know our future. We cannot deal with this uncertainty, yet we seek uncertainty in other things, such as books or sporting events.
The fear of making the wrong move is paralysing us.
As someone who is debilitated by decision making daily I can relate to this.
Mel encourages us to let go of thoughts that need certainty. Our lives are a flow of movement with infinite possibilities. We need to reframe our relationship with uncertainty, as life is uncertain.
We have a very important relationship with our thoughts and need to be able to notice and release the thoughts of needing certainty. When will be able to cope with and write the script of your own life.
6. A New Plan For Anxious Feelings: Escape The Custard! : Neil Hughes
Neil has one of the best analogies of having anxiety – Walking on Custard.
This describes anxiety perfectly – going about your life but always being cautious and worried that something bad is about to happen – sinking through the custard.
It is like you are always floundering, wondering how to get to solid ground?
Neil says we need to pay attention to our thoughts and choose how to react. ‘ Only we can put in the effort required to overcome our anxieties by getting to know ourselves.
7. Break Away From Negative Thoughts & Experience Life
Kip talks about how her negative thoughts first started when she was put in a low reading group at school.
The negative thoughts manifest and these insecurities can hold us back from being engaged in our life.
80% of thoughts are negative.
It is liberating to realise that these negative thoughts are not real.
We need to recognise our limiting beliefs and try to become more happy. Make time for self reflection. connect with inner self to be able to make the right decisions for what you want in your life.
8. Getting Stuck In The Negatives (And How To Get Unstuck) : Alison Ledgerwood
Why do we always focus on the negatives?
Alison talks about how we view the world with a tilt towards negative. She backs up her talk with many scientific experiments which prove this.
We need to work harder to see the upside. Luckily we can train our minds to do this better e.g. start writing what you are grateful for.
Thanks for watching the 8 best Ted talks about anxiety. I hope they have helped you as much as they helped me!
