Robert Duff > Quotes

“This negative self-talk is something you probably aren't even aware of, but it eats away at you bit by bit and erodes that self-confidence you need to tackle your anxiety.”
― Robert Duff, Hardcore Self Help: F**k Anxiety

“You need to set yourself up for success, too. You need to invest in yourself. You need to stop being a butthead and sabotaging yourself.”
― Robert Duff, Hardcore Self Help: F**k Anxiety

“You might even webMD yourself (never webMD yourself)”
― Robert Duff, Hardcore Self Help: F**k Anxiety

“Whatever you do right now... don't think of a purple monkey. I bet you thought of a purple monkey.”
― Robert Duff, Hardcore Self Help: F**k Anxiety

“Like I mentioned above, we can sometimes feel crushed under the weight of our own guilt. How fucked up is that? We are trying to move forward, and the fact that we haven’t been able to move forward until this point is the very thing keeping us feeling guilty and preventing us from moving forward at all.”
― Robert Duff, Hardcore Self Help: F**k Depression

“There is a piece of you that is still fighting this and I want to add a spark to that little ember and help you create a roaring fire of depression slaying badassery. You may feel numb and zombie-like, but you have not given up. We are still in this, friend. Let's get you back on track.   In”
― Robert Duff, Hardcore Self Help: F**k Depression

“You can’t begin your journey of a single step if you are too crushed by your feelings to get up off of the floor. All too often, guilt, frustration, and anger from the past keep you held back.”
― Robert Duff, Hardcore Self Help: F**k Depression

“We are all plugged in and as much as we like to think that we use technology as a tool… sometimes it seems that we are the tools and technology is using us.”
― Robert Duff, Hardcore Self Help: F**k Anxiety

“When you have unhelpful thinking that makes you feel crappy or act in ways that are not in line with your typical self, we refer to these thoughts as maladaptive cognitions or cognitive distortions. It’s a fancy way of describing thoughts that sabotage you. Like I said at the start, sometimes your brain is an asshole.”
― Robert Duff, Hardcore Self Help: F**k Anxiety

“your brain is a troll..”
― Robert Duff, Hardcore Self Help: F**k Anxiety

“What if I told you that taking breaks and doing nice things for yourself was not a waste of time? What if I said that they were not counterproductive but actually one of the most productive uses of your time?”
― Robert Duff, Hardcore Self Help: F**k Anxiety

“That’s just how depression works. Intellectually knowing something and feeling it are two very different experiences. I’m working to make them more in sync.   Though”
― Robert Duff, Hardcore Self Help: F**k Depression

“I'm going to be talking to you like a normal person. That means that I will be swearing a lot and making up stupid analogies that will make you think “wtf is this guy smoking?”
― Robert Duff, Hardcore Self Help: F**k Anxiety

“Humans have a tendency to move away and to avoid the situation, but paradoxically, the best option for you is to move toward the stressful thing. This is called exposure. Avoidance increases anxiety. Exposure reduces anxiety’s impact on your life.”
― Robert Duff, Hardcore Self Help: F**k Anxiety

“Just keep swimming.”
― Robert Duff, Hardcore Self Help: F**k Anxiety

“You have this high level of kinetic energy inside you, and sometimes it feels like you can"t stop the hamster from running at full speed and it just won't fall off the wheel even though it's so tired that it could die.”
― Robert Duff, Hardcore Self Help: F**k Anxiety

“It’s called 4-7-8 breathing. I don’t even remember where I learned this one, but it’s come to my rescue for many a close call. I hope you can count because that’s all you have to do for this one. Breathe in for 4 counts (you can count faster or slower depending on comfort), hold that breath for 7, and then release for 8. I know I said there’s no voodoo involved in these, but for me, these numbers are magic. As soon as I hit my second or third 8-count exhale, I can feel the relaxation inject itself into my bloodstream like I’m mainlining tranquility itself.”
― Robert Duff, Hardcore Self Help: F**k Anxiety

“You can help temper yourself to better withstand anxiety by allowing yourself to gain exposure to the things that cause you anxiety.”
― Robert Duff, Hardcore Self Help: F**k Anxiety

“I'm allowed to male mistakes
I'm allowed to feel good sometimes
Anxiety is my bitch
I don't like these feelings, but they won't hurt me
I'm going to be alright”
― Robert Duff, Hardcore Self Help: F**k Anxiety

“Overgeneralization: You already know this one. This is where we take one event or piece of evidence and jump to an overly general conclusion. Your brain is a terrible scientist.”
― Robert Duff, Hardcore Self Help: F**k Anxiety

“People don't die from panic attacks. It just doesn't happen. You're body is a dick, but it's not going to let you self-destruct like that. Even though the emotional pain and physical discomfort may be quite unbearable, anxiety will not physically hurt you.”
― Robert Duff, Hardcore Self Help: F**k Anxiety

“Symptoms of panic are fundamentally incompatible with deep breathing. Let me say that again. Symptoms of panic are fundamentally incompatible with deep breathing. Got it? What I'm trying I say is that the process of breathing deeply, focusing your mind on your breath, and taking in a larger amount of oxygen will start to break down those physiological symptoms of anxiety. Imagine that your anxiety symptoms are a raging fire. Deep breathing is like turning on the sprinklers. The fire might continue to smolder, but it's definitely not going to be raging anymore. The last time you were freaking the hell out due to anxiety and you were in the presence of someone else who told you, "Breathe. Just breathe," you probably felt like punching them in the face, right? That's because you suck at breathing. Let me teach you how to suck less.”
― Robert Duff, Hardcore Self Help: F**k Anxiety

“Mind Reading: Yeah, I’m talking to you. This is one that MANY of us are guilty of. Mind reading is very much what it sounds like. You assume that you know a person’s thoughts or internal motives, even though in reality you are just taking guesses.   Example: You text your significant other saying how much you love them and that you are really happy that things have been great lately. You ask them if they want to go to a movie later. I’m talking super cutesy with emojis and everything. Five minutes later, you get the response, “K.” That’s it, just… K. When you see your partner later you say, “So you don’t want to go to the movies?” You’re already pissed because you assume that they don’t care as much as you given their lackluster response. If they cared as much, they would have used an equivalent number of emojis… duh. In reality, they were just driving on the freeway and cared enough about you to not get killed by texting while driving.”
― Robert Duff, Hardcore Self Help: F**k Anxiety

“When you have unhelpful thinking that makes you feel crappy or act in ways that are not in line with your typical self, we refer to these thoughts as maladaptive cognitions or cognitive distortions.”
― Robert Duff, Hardcore Self Help: F**k Anxiety

“Filtering: Some of you out there probably are superhuman in your ability to engage in this one. This is where you take the negative details about a situation and magnify them while filtering out all of the positive features of the situation.”
― Robert Duff, Hardcore Self Help: F**k Anxiety

“The last time you were freaking the hell out due to anxiety and you were in the presence of someone else who told you, "Breathe. Just breathe," you probably felt like punching them in the face, right? That's because you suck at breathing. Let me teach you how to suck less.   The”
― Robert Duff, Hardcore Self Help: F**k Anxiety

“One of the shitty things about GAD is the associated physical symptoms. Panic attacks, which I will talk more about in a sec, are terrible, but they are also awesome in that they usually come and go in a matter of minutes. With GAD you aren’t so lucky. You have many of the same features of a panic attack, typically to a lesser degree, but for a really long period of time. Your body isn’t designed to be under that sort of stress reaction for those extended periods and so you may find that you constantly have an upset stomach, muscle soreness, difficulty sleeping, constant fatigue etc. It’s not fun.”
― Robert Duff, Hardcore Self Help: F**k Anxiety

“If you thought your mind had a monopoly on screwing you over, you were sorely mistaken. Your body seems to be in cahoots with the boss upstairs and has its very own contributions to that lovely beast we call anxiety. Don't worry if you are one of those lucky people who seem to have anxiety that is primarily driven by physical symptoms. You're not S.O.L. We just need to approach things a little differently. Physical anxiety symptoms vary from person to person, but there are some that tend to be pretty consistent: ● Pounding heartbeat ● Shakiness ● Shortness of breath or hyperventilation ● Sour stomach ● Headache ● Dizziness ● Feeling of pressure on chest ● Sweating ● Feeling of choking ● Chills or hot flashes I bet you’ve felt a few of those suckers before. Maybe you’ve even had a panic attack, which is a sudden surge of fear that involves many of those symptoms and makes you feel out of control. Panic attacks and physical anxiety symptoms, in general, are scary as hell. I don't get to that point often, but I have been there before, and I've seen it occur in others countless times. When you have a panic attack, it feels like you are going to die. You might even WebMD yourself (never WebMD yourself) and find that your symptom profile is strikingly similar to a heart attack... I bet that realization did wonders for your anxiety. Here's the thing, though. I know it hurts, I know it sucks and it feels like you are going to die, but you will not. People don't die from panic attacks. It just doesn't happen. Your body is a dick, but it's not going to let you self-destruct like that. Even though the emotional pain and physical discomfort may be quite unbearable, anxiety will not physically hurt you.”
― Robert Duff, Hardcore Self Help: F**k Anxiety

“What you are working towards in your recovery from anxiety issues is not only to help yourself avoid unnecessary anxiety when it’s possible, but also to learn how to better tolerate your anxiety symptoms.”
― Robert Duff, Hardcore Self Help: F**k Anxiety

“I feel like a bum, therefore I can’t get anything done today. In reality, you can feel any sort of way and also act in whatever way you would like.”
― Robert Duff, Hardcore Self Help: F**k Depression