Why I’m Thankful For My Anxiety
I know I haven’t written a mental health related post in quite a while. The truth is, I’ve been having a bit of a writer’s block this year. I think between working on publishing my first book and actively writing the second one, I’m sort of mentally drained. But I want to start writing longer posts again about topics I’m passionate about. That’s why I’ve been writing weekly blogging advice posts recently. And I want to share mental health related posts more often too. At least once a week or every two weeks. That being said, today I want to talk about anxiety and why I’m thankful for my anxiety.
For those of you that are new here, I was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder as a teenager. Not going to lie, it was a really difficult time for me. Prior to this, I had been diagnosed with depression. And I was just learning to live with that when anxiety reared its head. It was a struggle. But through that struggle, I ended up learning a lot and growing as a human being.
I’ve been doing a lot of therapy and self-searching recently. And I have learnt that I can choose to look at things negatively and think about how they negatively affected my life. Or I can think of the positives and think of things in a more positive light. Does having anxiety absolutely suck? Yes, for sure. But it’s something that is a part of my life so I may as well try to think of it in a more positive way. Or at least count my blessings.
Here are some reasons why I’m thankful for my anxiety:
It Made Me A Better Person
Having a mental health disorder, especially one like anxiety that tends to make you more sensitive can really make you a better person. You learn to look at the world in a much more different way. For many people, the world is black and white. But when you have a mental health disorder, things become much more grey. At least that’s how it was for me.
Anxiety also makes things a lot harder. That in itself isn’t great, but when I think it through more it’s a hidden blessing. Because I had to work harder to achieve things despite my anxiety, I think it made me appreciate it even more. The struggle made me a stronger person too because now I know that I can achieve my dreams despite my anxiety telling me otherwise.
It Made Me A Better Writer
Anxiety absolutely made me a better writer because it made me a bit of a chronic over thinker. It made me notice details that other people may not notice or may ignore. It also made me fascinated with humans. I like to people watch and that also helps me pick up on things. And as I mentioned, anxiety does make me more sensitive. I think that mix of things helps me create better characters and allows me to imagine better plots for my writing. I’m able to put myself in other peoples shoes including that of characters.
Empathy Is An Acquired Skill
In this day and age, I see such a lack of empathy from a concerningly large amount of people. It’s like we’re just so disconnected from one another. But thanks to my anxiety, I think I’ve become a more empathetic person. When someone behaves in a negative way with me, I no longer take it as personally as would have in the old days. Rather than think of it as a personal attack, I try to think of it as maybe the person was having a bad day. Or maybe the person is going through something. Or has trauma that makes them bah that way.
Back in my unruly teenage years, I had quite the sharp tongue and could be cruel when provoked. But I’ve gotten much better in the recent years when it comes to controlling my tongue and thinking twice before I say something I may regret. And a large part of that is my anxiety and personal experiences I’ve had with it. I’ve had some bad days and appreciate those that empathised or sympathised and want to repay the favour to others.
It Opened My Eyes
In more ways than I can list on this post, anxiety has helped me open my eyes to the world. Some people breeze through life, they really hit the jackpot. And that’s great, I’m happy for them. But having struggles makes you more aware of your surroundings. It makes you understand that life isn’t easy for everyone. In fact, it’s very difficult for a lot of people.
Anxiety also opened my eyes to how unjust the world can be. Have you ever been particularly anxious and doomscrolled through social media only to learn so much about the world? Because I have. Not saying doomscrolling is good or that you should do it. Please don’t doomscroll. But I have and it actually ended up being more educational than I realised.
Final Thoughts
So yes, anxiety did negatively affect my life in many ways. But it’s not all bad. It actually helped me grow a lot as a person. And the struggles helped me become a better version of myself. Which is something I’m very grateful for. And why I’m thankful for my anxiety. I guess every cloud does have a silver lining after all.
What is something negative that happened in your life that you now consider a positive? What is something you are grateful for? If you suffer from anxiety or any mental health disorders, how did it change your life? Let me know in the comments below because I would absolutely love to hear from you. Or simply stop by and say hi!
Disclaimer: If you or someone you love are experiencing mental health problems please talk to a professional or someone you trust. Please seek help if you feel that it is necessary. There is absolutely nothing wrong with needing help.
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