To the girl who loves having control,

So, you're the girl who needs to call ahead for reservations because if they don't have an open table you'll be crushed. You're the girl who drives when your friends want to go out because you are clearly the most responsible driver. You're the girl who has to be 15 minutes early for everything just in case you hit traffic or have to turn around because you left your phone home. And you're probably the girl who fears a panic attack when even the smallest, tiniest wrench is thrown into your plans.

Your friends and your significant others will have their own teasing, yet affectionate names for that pesky, Type-A personality of yours; Nervous Nelly, worry wart, control freak. You've heard them all.

Growing up, you've only ever known how to be the boss. When your friends played in the park, you were clearly the leader of the pack, only wanting to play your favorite games or parts of the jungle gym. You were the kid who would crumple up and throw out the entire page of a coloring book if you accidentally chose the wrong color. In school, you were practically obsessed with seeing those perfectly curved "C"'s on your worksheets, hungry for when your next 100 would be handed back to you.

When you got a little older, you found that holding everything together, perfectly in place, was one of the hardest things you could've done. You found yourself simply watching life go on around you, instead of actually living in it. While your friends started indulging in the typical teenager life, one of parties and youthful rebellion of every variety, you sat on the sidelines, afraid of losing the smallest smidgen of self-control. While your friends were Instagram-worthy snapping pictures of themselves, you were gripping your phone for dear life, praying that nobody new would come along that forces you to make small talk. God, how you truly hate small talk.

And for the record, there's nothing trendy about this. Suddenly, anxiety is the new black. For the record, there's nothing at all desirable about living this way. Do you want to endure sleepless nights because of that big exam in the morning? Do you want to walk into a room and worry about who is going to stare at you? Or maybe it's the fear of missing out on something or being the last to know something that seems like a good time? So, celebrity who makes a cool $40 million a year who claims to get a little jumpy before they have to perform on stage, sit down.

And your worst nightmare, your absolute worst nightmare, is breaking down in public. More specifically, having a full-blown panic attack in front of people that you know. When you're anxious, you turn into the worst version of yourself. You're depressed, angry, alone, and suffocating on pure fear, all at once. You cower in fear of your own mind. Your sight gets blurry, your hands turn sweaty, and your stomach does more back-hands than an Olympic gymnast. No one wants to see that.

Well, Miss Perfect, let me be the first, or the millionth, person to tell you; it's okay to let go.

Let go of every inhibition you have. Take that picture of your perfectly-framed life and tear it to shreds. Burn that metaphorical book that you've been writing about your future. Quit anticipating the tide and roll with the waves.

Schedules and to-do lists, your closest companions for so many years, have been betraying you all along. Forget about your treasured day planners, dry-erase calendars, and Post-It Notes because they only limit what you will do in your life.

Most importantly; turn off your phone. Toss it to the other side of the room and forget you even own one of those mind-melting, black holes of time-wasting. It's not going to save you from any kind of social interaction. It's just holding you back.

So, fellow control freak, do yourself a favor and start living out loud. Because planning for tomorrow is only making today pass you by.

Sincerely,

A friend.