When you have anxiety, it can feel like everyone has something to say about it. Some people say you are faking it, some may tell you that you just need to choose to be happy. Some people will shame you for using medication(s), and then there is always that one person who SWEARS by Essential Oils.
Sometimes, people who have anxiety just can’t seem to escape everyone crowding around them, trying to tell them what to do. Finally, those with anxiety have to step back and ask how the heck the other person knows what should or should not be helpful.
Trust me, I get this whole process. Having dealt with anxiety for the better portion of my life, I have run into all of these people. And as someone with anxiety, I want you to know that you do not have to listen to what everyone else is telling you to do. You don’t even have to follow what this article says. With that being said, however, here are my best tips for people who may struggle with or deal with anxiety.
Realize that this does not make you worthless or worth less.
Having anxiety, or any other mental illness or disorder, does not affect your personal worth. Would you look at someone with a broken bone or scar and assume they must be worth less than you? I wouldn’t. Having a mental illness is not a defining moment of your self-worth. I promise you that you are beautiful and wonderful and so loved, despite what you may believe about yourself.
Having anxiety does not need to be a weakness.
People often think that having a mental illness is a weakness, a hindering on a person. Read these next words very carefully. Having a mental illness does not make you weak, it makes you strong. Dealing with anxiety is never easy, but it does not have to make you feel any less strong. What you are handling each day, often without the notice of others, is difficult. It is something that no single person desires to experience for growth. You can choose whether to make this a weakness or a strength. I suggest viewing it as a strength. Having anxiety helps you pay attention to details, it makes you compassionate, it makes you love others. Those are not weaknesses.
How you choose to progress is entirely up to you.
Everyone and their dog has some kind of way to help you progress. Here’s the deal: you do not have to listen to what other people say. You get to choose what you want to do to progress. You can choose to not take medication and solely rely on exercise or meditation. You can choose to go the Essential Oils route. You can choose to be medicated, and try different medications until you find the one that works for you. The point of your progression is your own happiness, and you find that your own way, not the way everyone else seems to think will work best. Trust your gut. You know what you need.
There is no magical cure
I want you to know that it is not easy for me to share this part. I wish so much that this was not true, but it is. There is no absolute cure for anxiety. Odds are that this is something you will have for the majority of your life. If you are monitoring your progress just hoping to wake up one day completely fine, you won’t ever progress. There is no magical solution. All you can do is try to find the best parts of each day, to find things to be grateful for each day. However, no cure does not mean the same thing as no happiness. In the words of Albus Dumbledore (but really the words of JK Rowling) “Happiness can be found in even the darkest of times if one only remembers to turn on the light.” Find the happiness. Search for the happiness. And by doing so, you will be the happiness.
Remember your worth, your strengths, your desires, and your happiness. From one anxious person to another, I know you can do this.
