Like many people, I suffer from anxiety. I’m not proud of it nor do I wish it upon anyone. When I finally learned what anxiety was,I knew that it would be difficult to put aside. People would often say, “You’re too young to have anxiety, you’re only 21. What do you have to be worried about?” Anxiety is a serious mental illness that many people my age and younger face, and I’ m lucky to even have it on a mild level. The simplest everyday things that I do can become a struggle.
For example, when I know I have to meet new people, I instantly become anxious and thoughts pop up into my head, such as, “Will they like me?” or “What if I make myself look like a fool?”. These thoughts probably do not come across normal individuals minds. Unfortunately for me, they do and these overwhelming thoughts get to be exhausting. Getting older, I realized that my anxiety will never go away and I just have to make the best out of it. Recently, I learned to not let my anxiety stand in my way and because of that, I have been able to overcome many obstacles that I thought I never could. Lately, I have learned to better my anxiety by following these three ways to not let it get in my way.
1. You'll miss out on a lot if you choose to let your anxiety overcome you.
Having anxiety has made me miss out on a lot of opportunities, such as social events, activities, and even hanging out with friends. If I would get anxious over a situation that included me being in a social setting, I would simply just not go. Now, I try not to let that get in my way. I have been more open to being social because if I keep letting my anxiety get in my way, I will definitely miss out on a lot. I regret letting my anxiety overcome me because I probably could have done so much more as a teenager.
2. Your anxiety doesn't define you.
Don’t let anxiety be the reason you miss out on some amazing opportunities. It doesn’t define who you are as a person. No one will remember you for you being the person with anxiety; they’ll remember you for the impact that you made on them. If you are having anxiety over a job opportunity that you were offered but you’re too anxious to take it, go ahead and do it! Don’t let your nerves take over opportunities you’ll only get once.
3. You're only on this earth once.
As cliché as it sounds, you only live once. You’re only in this life once so why not make the best out of it? Take those risks and opportunities, because you may never get them back. Anxiety will always surround you, but if you don't take risks, you'll let it overcome you. Live your life to the fullest because you’ll never get these times back.
For every single person that suffers from anxiety, I feel for you. It is not something we chose to live with, but if we don’t let it come in our way, we can overcome it. Yes, our anxiety plays an important role in our day- to -day life but there’s no reason why you should let it stand in your way.
