275: Is a Diagnosis Helpful or Harmful?

Before I dive into today’s topic, I just want to update you here that all 10 of the spots I had available for a discounted rate of Be Anxiety Free 1:1 coaching are completely full. I’m so excited to be able to assist these women in this way. I’ll keep you posted on their experiences, and I look forward to working with you in the future. If you’ve been experiencing anxiety on any level, I can definitely help you with this.

Today, I want to discuss something that may be controversial. And that’s okay because, whatever your perspective or opinion, I don’t think anyone’s wrong per se. But I want to talk about this. I just want to share some thoughts that I have about society today in terms of diagnosing everyone and making them a problem.

In our happy society, we want a reason or cause for everything, and I completely get and understand that.

I believe that diagnosis can cause more harm than good, and I will share why.

First, I want to acknowledge that getting a diagnosis can be a relieving thing when you’ve been struggling with a sickness, ailment, or something and you don’t know what it is or how to help it. A diagnosis can be a huge relief when you finally know what it is, so then you can do something about it.

It’s horrible when you are living with some sort of health issue or whatever, and you have no idea what’s going on or why it’s happening, and you don’t even know how to go about fixing it or getting help for it.

For me, being diagnosed with PTSD gave me a starting point. I used it as fuel for my healing. I didn’t let this diagnosis become me and stay me, but it was so relieving to know what I was experiencing was called something. And then to know what direction to go with it.

So, when you get a diagnosis and you can say, I have this, or I am experiencing this in my body, that’s totally fine.

What I don't like, and what seems to happen a lot, is when you go get a diagnosis, and then you start to identify with it.

How often have you heard someone say, I am an anxious mom? I am depressed. I am bipolar.

If instead of it being something you are experiencing, it becomes who you are, it gets a lot more challenging to make any changes with that.

Let’s think of someone who’s 6 feet 2. This guy is 6 feet 2. That will never change. He can’t change his height. But he’s not an angry man. I am an angry person. He could be a human who is experiencing anger, but once he starts identifying with it as part of who he is, then it becomes part of his identity.

So, let’s think together that there are no disorders or things that you are. What if, instead of saying you are anxious, you say, I am experiencing anxiety, or even better, I have been experiencing anxiety?

Instead of introducing yourself as a depressed person, introduce yourself as Lily, or whatever your name is.

So, it’s not necessarily the diagnosis that’s an issue; it’s the diagnosis that becomes a problem.

You are a beautiful, wonderful human being who may be experiencing some things, but you are not that, my friend. They are not who you are.

I hope this short and sweet episode today sheds some light on who you are and that you are not the things you have been experiencing.

So what do you think?