An Open Letter To My Anxiety

Those of you with anxiety will understand this perfectly. The way anxiety makes you feel about yourself and others is unhealthy; the sooner you can part ways, the better. This is my official breakup with my anxiety.

Dear Anxiety,

We have known each other for quite some time now. Ever since I was a young teen, you’ve been around. While I must admit you are the biggest nuisance in my life, I can always count on you to try to ruin the good things in my life. For instance, the future is supposed to be an exciting idea that makes one hopeful and excited for the years ahead; instead, you choose to make me worry about it all the time. What will I do after college? Where will I live?

You make me worry about everything, now that I mention it. You make me scared of the unknown, you make me afraid of the idea that everything in my life is not going according to plan, and I hate you for it. Anxiety, you even make me scared to talk to new people. Going up to new people to introduce myself? Forget it! You always show up and tell me not to put myself out there, not to be too sociable just in case you aren't accepted. You make everything so hard for me. Why is that? At any kind or social gathering with a lot of people you often don't let me enjoy myself as much as I should. If I'm at a large party or get-together, you always show up like that uninvited guest who thinks he deserves to be there.

Your favorite thing of all to do is to bring unnecessary feelings into my life, unwanted feelings of worry and self-doubt out of nowhere with no warning, and when you show up, you stay for a long time. I don't know what I did to you to deserve this.

This is going to hurt you a lot, but it needs to be said. People do not like you, you bring the worst out in people, and I don't know why you think it is still OK to do so. I want you to work on yourself and how you treat others. You make people, like me, feel awful about themselves; that is no way to live. I hope you never treat another person like you have treated me in the recent years. I can’t and won’t take any more of how you treat me. This is why I am making this letter our official breakup. I know you will still find a way to creep back into my life, but as of right now, you don't control me. From now on, you will not control my feelings, you will not put a damper on exciting new things, and I won’t allow you to hold any power over me. Thank you for trying to ruin my life, but those days are officially over. Don’t expect to see me anytime soon.

Sincerely,

Your Ex