For every new step, fear always comes with it.
From our youth, we're greeted with beginnings. The first day of kindergarten, the first day of middle school, the first day of high school, your first test, first friend, first best friend, first crush, first kiss; the list goes on. Before you experienced any of it, a sense of fear and anxiety came with it. You can remember how your heart raced or your palms sweat, and you had no control over it. But once you faced this new school, friendship, relationship, or whatever it was, you realized you could do it. The fear you felt was stupid and the only thing it did was hold you back from feeling something you would never regret.
Now for some, the first day of college is coming. It's a completely new experience. High school teachers, parents, and (what feels like) everyone around you is warning you about the adulthood you're entering and how you have to be ready. It's scary. Without a doubt, the weeks prior to move-in day my freshmen year were filled with panic attacks, crying, and fainting (yeah I fainted cause I panicked, it was fun). But two years later, I realize that fear was familiar just more intense.
As we grow up, we are forced to face more serious beginnings than the first day of college. I'm going to be a junior in less than two weeks, and I've never been so terrified in my life.
Growing up and "adulting" is the scariest beginning. You are pushed into a world without ever seeing the ledge. One day you're told to raise your hand to go to the bathroom and the next you're deciding on which cable company is the most affordable for your new apartment.
Realistically, no one is prepared for huge leaps. No matter how much advice you ask for or are unwillingly given, experiencing it first hand is the only way you'll know how it is. Everyone's lives are their own and so are the experiences that come with them. But relating this fear you feel to those you felt throughout your life is comforting because, at least for me, I realized these feelings relate to one fear: the fear of the unknown. I'm scared of what I don't know yet. I don't know how life will go or what to expect and that scares me the most. What if I mess up? What if I can't handle it?
These what if's are terrifying, but you can't limit those what if's to the negative experiences you might have. You can't help but feel nervous... so add some more what if's. Ask yourself: What if it goes amazing? What if this opens doors for me? What if I'm happier than I've ever been? Confidently shift your anxiety to excitement. It's a useful tactic for those who suffer with anxiety disorders, but it's handy for those dealing with common life anxieties. Don't expect the worst without realizing that the best can come from new beginnings.
