If you're anything like me, you are constantly battling anxiety, depression, and that little voice inside your head that says "You're not good enough."
The voice is so loud that you can't help but listen and believe what it's telling you. You have trouble falling asleep at night because your mind replays all of the mistakes that you've made.
Sometimes you don't want to get out of bed the next day. Making mistakes is inevitable, but do you really want to deal with the disappointment all over again?
Just a few examples of common struggles that can feel like an earth-shattering nightmare to someone with anxiety:
My crush rejected me and is dating someone else.
Every month, it's harder to scrape by and pay rent.
This whole adult thing is a lot harder than I thought it would be.
Life can be rough, and a lot of things happen that you will never be able to control.
But you can control how you react.
This summer has been up and down for me. I've been dealing with grief from losing my dad, trying to process that I'm five years away from 30, and mentally preparing myself for my final year of college.
The past few months have been a whirlwind of emotion and (in)action; I've gone from writing and watching my life fall apart in a matter of weeks, to crying and staying in bed and not writing, not moving, to finally trying and put myself back together.
I'm super critical of myself, whether it be my body, the art I create, my accomplishments, or anything else. Chances are that if you're reading this, you are overly critical of yourself, too.
Here's a word of advice.
Chill out.
Seriously, I have to tell myself to chill multiple times a day. Next time you're getting carried away obsessing over the *perfect* headline for your next article, picking the best Night Out Outfit, or having an existential crisis because you're comparing yourself to all of your peers, do this. Take a deep breath, close your eyes, and tell yourself that you are enough.
There are a lot of ways to waste time and energy: binge "KUWTK" for six hours straight, drive to Target just to find out that they're out of stock of your favorite Greek yogurt or put pineapple on your pizza. Some of these things are good, some are bad, but the worst waste of your time is worrying.
Life is for the living. So, get out there and live! Don't worry about not being good enough. As long as you wake up every day and try, you're being brave, and that's beautiful.
I'm thankful for my health and grateful to be here on this Earth with people I love and adore. Think about everything that you're grateful for and let that ground you in your moments of panic or indecision.
Sit back, relax, and let go.
