The beauty within anxiety.
Although I have overcome anxiety and panic, I still want to be sure that I continue to share my insights, wisdom and experiences along the way. Sometimes I forget just how common anxiety is and my hope is that I can continue to educate, share and relate to those still struggling.
In today’s blog, I want to share some of the ways that anxiety actually made my life better.
Anxiety and panic attacks were things that truly rocked my world for a long time. I am grateful that I have always had a stubbornness / hope to me that never allowed me to give into it, however there were times where I truly wondered if I would ever just be able to enjoy life again. That sounds dramatic, but if you know, you know.
Here I am today though, sharing all of the ways in which I am grateful for my experience through anxiety and panic. I want to highlight the word “through” here. If you ever want to get PAST your anxiety, the only way to truly do that is to face your anxiety and your anxious triggers. Although avoidance might be helpful & even necessary for a moment, it is crucial that you work to avoid it less and less.
Why? Because your anxiety is trying to protect you from perceived dangers, which is a good thing! It becomes a problem, however, when these “dangers” are not actually true threats and when it starts to prevent you from living your life and being fully present.
So here is a little motivation for you to stop fearing your anxiety and start moving towards it with compassion and curiosity:
— Anxiety was one of the major contributors to my own self-knowledge and growth. Because I struggled so much, I was pushed past my comfort zone in almost every way possible — physically, mentally and emotionally. I was forced to look inward, to pause, to make healthy choices and remain mindful of my day to day thoughts and actions. I truly believe that I am a better, more loving & compassionate person because of my anxiety. Not only that, I now have a blog dedicated to sharing my experiences and helping others going through similar struggles!
— I have learned so much because of anxiety. Once you start facing your triggers and get curious rather than running from your fears, you inadvertently learn a lot about yourself / what you are experiencing. Everything from dietary triggers, the nervous system, gut health, mindfulness, etc. I am so much more self aware and equipped to ask questions, to inquire and to advocate for myself.
— I enjoy the little things SO MUCH MORE. When you go from a place of fear / fight or flight to a more balanced and relaxed state, you still remember how hard to was to enjoy or participate in life fully. So when I was able to come out the other side of anxiety, even the most mundane and unenjoyable things started to give me feelings of gratitude. That new work requirement/task that used to put me on the verge of a panic attack is now something that I am almost grateful for because now I can/get to do it WITHOUT being on the verge of a panic attack the entire time.
— Relationships, conversations and social settings get easier. You care less about comparing yourself to others or what other people think because you’ve learned how to have more self love and compassion. That guy who gives you butterflies asks you out? You now get to enjoy a date and be yourself because if you can breathe through a panic attack this guy isn’t going to intimidate you. Break ups feel less like the end of the world because you did the work to move through and accept whatever life has for you, knowing that you’ll come out better in the end because that is the work required to move past anxiety. Because you’ve learned how to self sooth and turn inward during times of conflict, disagreements are more easily sorted out and you become less dependent on other people to fulfill your needs and expectations. You also start to protect your peace more, which leads to better decision making in who you interact and surround yourself with. Your level of trust increases and because of this your level of insecurity naturally decreases.
— You enjoy alone time more and you start to discover things about yourself and interests you have. Sure you can do this without anxiety being the motivating factor, but the result of mindfulness and pause is often a new appreciation of our interests and hobbies. In my own experience, overcoming anxiety has even led me to appreciate things such as traveling alone or doing things solo that I wouldn’t have even considered before!
Now I am not saying you’ll never have anxious moments, I still have mine! To face your fears means to create a little more anxiety at first. But once you get a taste of those small instances in which you move past a trigger, you will start to gain motivation/momentum for the next one. Before you know it you’re saying “Wow, I haven’t felt anxious all week and I didn’t even realize it.” Your rebound rate will become faster and your anxiety will be a friend that visits you less and less.
