Lessons My Anxiety Has Taught Me
As I mentioned in an earlier post, I want to start posting longer posts again and sharing posts that I feel more strongly about like posts about mental health. I’m hoping to share mental health related posts at least once or twice a month. Last time, I shared a post about why I’m thankful for my anxiety. This time, I thought I would take inspiration from that post and share a somewhat similar topic. Today, I’ll be talking about the lessons my anxiety has taught me.
For those of you that may be new to my site and have not had the chance to read my mental health related posts (all posts linked below), I was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder as a teenager and have been working through it since then. Thankfully, as an adult I think I’m much better at handling my anxiety.
I’m almost twenty-eight now which means I was diagnosed about a decade ago. And in those years, my anxiety has had its ups and downs. There have been moments where I wished I could just be “normal” (is anyone really normal though? what even is normal?). But as I get older, I’ve learnt to try to handle things in a more positive way. I’m not talking about in a toxic positive way where I’m just in denial. I’m perfectly aware of my negative emotions. I’ve just learnt to handle them in a way where they are not debilitating to me. And one way to do that is to think of the other side of the coin and think about the lessons my anxiety has taught me. Lessons I may not have otherwise learnt.
So, here are some lessons my anxiety has taught me:
Life Goes On
When you have an anxiety disorder, everything feels so much scarier than it actually is. Every little thing feels like the end of the world. Even smaller problems can feel overwhelming. But after years of my brain having a complete meltdown about everything including things that aren’t even a real threat (like stuff that may happen), I’ve realised that no matter how bad things may seem- life goes on. No problem is too big, even the ones that feel like they’ll never get solved.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed and unsure of how to move forward, reaching out to an Anxiety Treatment Center might be a great first step. They can help you navigate challenges and find ways to move forward even when life feels uncertain.
These days, I let the universe do its thing because the truth is we have so little control over so many things. We can plan everything down to the tee but plans may end up changing completely at some point. You just never know what’s going to happen. Now, I think- you know what, this sucks but life will go on.
Everyone Is Going Through Something
I think having anxiety and being hyper aware has really helped me empathise with others. As someone that is a highly sensitive person, I try not to hurt other peoples feelings. And I always try to put myself in their shoes and treat others the way I would like to be treated.
Back in the day, I had a pretty sharp tongue. If someone pissed me off, I would make sure I say something about it. But now, I prefer to be the bigger person and let it go. Maybe they’re having a bad day or maybe they’re just a bit of an eggplant emoji. Either way, I would rather not get into it with someone. I like to give them the benefit of the doubt and think maybe they’re just going through something. As we all often are.
You Can’t Please Everyone
I’ve been a chronic people pleaser my entire life. From not having proper boundaries to just stretching myself thin to make others more comfortable. I was very much a people pleaser. And it pissed me off when someone was mad at me or didn’t like me for whatever reason. I really needed to be liked. But now, I’ve gotten much better at that. And am firm with my boundaries.
If someone doesn’t like me or doesn’t want to interact with me, I just let it go. Because that anxious feeling is just not worth it. And the truth is, you can’t please everyone. There’s always going to be someone out there that doesn’t like you. That’s just life.
Be Kind
And the biggest thing anxiety has taught me is to be kind to everyone. If someone tries to take advantage of your kindness, set boundaries and if they suck they’ll see themselves out. The thing is, a lot of us are struggling. Sometimes you may not even know what the other person is going through. Some struggles (like anxiety) are invisible and people don’t know how awful it is till they experience it. I always appreciate when someone is kind to me and that’s why I try to be kind to others too.
Conclusion
I hope you enjoyed reading this post. It’s not easy to stay positive when you have mental health problems but it’s also not impossible. Negative emotions exist, they always will. And it’s totally normal to experience them. But we don’t need to let them control us. We can choose to be more positive people. At least that’s how I feel after all this time struggling with anxiety and depression.
Do you have anxiety? If so, what is something you have learnt from your anxiety? What are some lessons your anxiety has taught you? Let me know in the comments below because I would love to hear your thoughts. 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.
If you would like to read more mental health related posts click here.
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