Maybe we should start doubting our anxiety… : Bridge statements
Hello amazing people of our community! How are you all doing?
Recently, I was watching a video by a licensed marriage and family therapist named Kati Morton. The video had the title How to stop hating yourself! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlNroX7saHs ) , which immediately caught my attention, as there have been times when I feel like I was hostile towards myself and I didnt genuinely like who I was…
This video was about Bridge Statements and how they can help us recognize our worth and appreciate ourselves a bit more. These statements bridge the gap between some really negative, frustrating, disappointing and maybe kind of irrational thoughts we may have and some positive, more optimistic ones. As I was watching the video, I couldnt help but think how well these statements would work for people who suffer from anxiety.
More often than not, our anxiety can make us think negatively. For example, it may give us the impression that we arent good enough, that we arent capable of achieving our goals or that we are going to fail terribly. Anxiety can also make us doubt our self-worth, believe that we are ungifted, that other people dont like us at all and many more…
Many people suggest using positive affirmations as a way to battle the negative thoughts that come with anxiety. While positive affirmations can be an effective tool for many, some people may still find them unhelpful .
Bridge Statements are an alternative way to self-talk against negative, unwanted thoughts..
When using such a statement, we include phrases like There is a chance that… or Maybe you are wrong when it comes to … or What if…, doubting what our anxiety tries to make us think its true. For example, if our anxiety tells us that we are annoying and thats why people dont like us, we can start repeating on a daily basis statements like: Maybe there is a chance I am not as annoying as I think or What if there are people who actually like hanging out with me?. Lets imagine another scenario: Our anxiety has tricked us into thinking that we are going to mess up that presentation we have to do at school/ at work. Instead of lying to ourselves and saying something we dont believe at all in an effort to calm down ( You are going to do great/ amazing, for example), we can use a Bridge Statement (What if things go alright and you dont mess up?, for instance)— no matter which approach we try, the ultimate goal is to counter our negative thoughts with something that gives us hope.
We can try repeating these statements often during the day and even in front of a mirror!
Personally, Ive found it really helpful as an idea, as it is a powerful tool to ease my anxiety and start applying reason to my thoughts slowly and steadily.
If you decide to try it, feel free to let us know how it went!
Can you think of any examples of using Bridge Statements? Share some below!
* Lots of positive vibes for all of you! *
-Dream
@DontFearToDream
Thank you so much for this amazing post, listener twinnie <3 This is so useful and I hope others think about it the same way.
@Dimara
Thank you for taking the time to read it. I'm glad you find it useful. 
@DontFearToDream
Oh, I simply love this so much Dream!! Thanks so much for sharing this with the community. It's a great resource!
Bridge statements are super wonderful things, I'm trying to use them more often myself. 
@AstronomySkies
Skies, thank you so much for your sweet words! (I almost tore up again haha).
I'm glad you are trying to use bridge statements more often. I hope they help.
@DontFearToDream Thank you for this well-thought and very helpful post, Dream. I love this! 💜
@VickyP
Thank tou for taking the time to read it, Vicky. I'm so glad ypu liked it .
@VickyP
Thank you so much for replying, Vicky. I'm glad you found my post helpful! <3
Thank you for this! I will try it and also I do have a school presentation that I am scared of so this could help. But yes this could help us at least go through our day without feeling bad about ourselves 
@tiredangel6
I really hope it helps! Good luck with the school presentation!!!
@DontFearToDream
Thank you for sharing this, it seems like a great idea! I can totally understand that sometimes 'positive thinking' just feels like lying to yourself. These bridge statements make it much easier to actually believe in what one is saying to oneself I think.
My example of how to use it would be this: I am worried that I made a wrong decision in my teaching training. Instead of thinking: "I'm sure it will be fine." and feeling like I'm lying to myself, I could think/say: "What if everyone knows that it is okay to make mistakes and they will just kindly correct me?" or "There is a chance that this mistake is not as bad as I think it is."
@MyFeathers
These are really good examples of Bridge Statements! I hope that they will have a positive impact on your daily life.
Thank you for taking the time to respond. Take care!
@DontFearToDream
thank you so much for this, dream!! Very very mind opening <33 will be using it in the future
@eternalWhisper22
Thank you so much for your words! I'm happy to see you are willing to give it a try.
@DontFearToDream
Thabks for this post!
@AllieSunshine
Thank you for taking the time to read it, Allie!
Sometimes I find it actually draining to talk myself into a good mood. I like that this is simply framing my current thoughts into a more neutral light, instead of trying to force my brain from negative to positive thinking.
@considerateCactus2454
Exactly! I'm glad you like this technique! <3
@DontFearToDream I am definitely one of those people who has trouble with positive affirmations. When my anxiety is acting up and my head is full of negative thoughts, positive affirmations just sound like nonsense. I think I'll give bridge statements a try and see how it goes. =)
@sporkchop
I'm so glad you decided to give Bridge Statements a try! Feel free to let us know how it goes! <3
@DontFearToDream
Thank you for this post Dream. I think this makes a lot of sense. I hope that you have seen some improvement since you've started making this change.
I want to share your post with a few other members I've been talking to about our anxieties. @nwaveo and @UDT, I hope you find this advice as promising as I did. Maybe this is something we can all practice together when we chat. :)
@SecretlyMe
I think it's a really helpful way to look at this. Yes, we can try this out when we chat, and hopefully it'll be helpful to us too.
Thanks for sharing
Stay safe people!
@SecretlyMe
I've definitely seen some improvement! However, the fact that this technique has worked for me doesn't mean it is going to have results for everyone.
Thank you for taking the time to respond and share my post <3.
@DontFearToDream
I love this, Thank you
@Goldcherry2113
Thank you so much for taking the time to read my post!
