Hey!
So today, I want to discuss a topic I am all too familiar with: anxiety! You're probably wondering why I am so excited to discuss this but in reality, I am just really happy that have made it to a point in my life where I can not only openly talk about anxiety but I feel confident enough to give others advice on how to cope and deal with anxiety.
Anxiety is not always a sign of deep stress or even that there is something wrong with you, it is a normal mechanism that your body uses to react to a wide array of situations. Feeling anxious if there is a problem with your job or you have a test you did not prepare for is totally normal and shows that your body is reacting rationally to the situations it faces. Someone with an anxiety disorder has o much anxiety that it interferes with daily life, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.
I used to have terrible anxiety over the future, anxiety about what others thought about me, anxiety over whether I would be able to reach my goals, anxiety about money and financial tribulations, anxiety about what food I am going to eat, anxiety about my room not being clean, anxiety about whether or not I would ever get married, anxiety about whether or not checking that I had locked my car three times was enough, anxiety over whether my parents would be okay when I left the house, anxiety about if my little sister was being bullied, anxiety about getting into another car accident, anxiety about whether I prayed enough, anxiety over every little thing. Everything. It got to the point where I could not leave my car to pump gas because I was afraid that the people around me would stare or judge me. I could not do something as simple as leaving my house without having a million thoughts running through my head. Granted, I never told anyone and I dealt with all of these negative feelings alone, but they still took over my life.
Now, I am part of an amazing organization of almost 200 people at my school. I don't stress the little things or those things I have no control over. And the best part is, I no longer have panic attacks or sudden drastic shifts in my mood.
How did I get to this point? How can you get to this point?
Well, for one, I began trusting God and trusting that His plan for me was better than anything I could ever think of or stress over. That was probably the biggest change in my life that truly led me to happiness and true joy. I took my stress and my anxiety and my tears and I handed them over to Him, knowing that He would take care of me and everything would be alright.
Secondly, I realized that a great deal of the things in my mind were things I could not control. I cannot control whether people like me or judge me, so why not continue living my life and doing whatever I want? Do not stress over things you cannot control.
Thirdly, stop wasting your time! If you're spending your time being idle or sitting around and doing nothing, you are going to have more time to overthink and ruminate on negative thoughts. Fill your days with schoolwork, volunteer opportunities, hanging out with family and friends, etc. Sometimes it's better to be very busy so that you don't give yourself the opportunity to overthink.
Lastly, just breathe. Oftentimes when you're in the middle of a panic attack or your staying up late at nite because you cannot sleep, or you feel as if your drowning in your own thoughts remember to just breathe. Take a deep breathe and try to revert your negative thoughts to something more positive.
Anxiety is difficult. I may be well for the most part, but there are still days where I struggle with keeping my mindset in the right place. I don't think I could write everything down on this subject on one page or even in one day. There are so many different types of anxieties and different people have different coping mechanisms but overall, this is what helped me. If you are truly dealing with anything and feel like you need someone to talk to, I am always here and I encourage you to seek help if your negative thoughts make you feel as though you should harm yourself or others around you.
I truly hope this helps someone out there. Always remember, that with God anything is possible and He will help you get through all of your trials.
A.
