Growing up with anxiety has been a constant battle.
It has never been something that I didn't have to deal with. And sometimes, anxiety can be so debilitating that it feels like you'll never feel better again. But as I've grown, I've learned. And I've learned some surprisingly simple ways that have helped me manage my anxiety, instead of letting myself drown in it.
I first drew my inspiration from my little sister. She's someone that lives her entire life in love and light, and I've always admired her for that. I've also noticed how positive she is without fail. Even within her own struggles, she always makes sure to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
She doesn't let the difficulties in her life stray her from the positive mindset she's in, and she's encouraged me to do the same. And though it was admirable and I love that about her, it did get me thinking -- how would that ever help me? It seemed too simple, too... easy. I didn't really believe that simply thinking positive would make my anxiety more bearable in any way.
But it did.
When I saw a counselor in the past, she taught me some breathing techniques to use to help my body physically calm down when my anxiety got the best of me. And that helped me sometimes. I remember, a little while after having this conversation with my sister, when I was feeling particularly anxious, I tried her technique out for size. I thought positively to myself to try and overshadow the panic I was feeling, things like:
"In X amount of days, this won't matter."
"I won't feel like this forever."
"This will get better."
"I will feel happy again."
These little mantras were so simple that I felt silly repeating them to myself. But I had to remember, it was true: I wasn't going to have this impending feeling of doom forever. Whatever I was worrying about, it wouldn't even be a thought in my mind in a week or a month. Things will get better, because they always do. Though that can be hard for me to remember, I know it is truth and it is fact.
I'm only twenty years old--that's still practically brand new in this world! I still have so much to see, so much to experience, so much to learn; I have so much growing to do. I have so many relationships to form. I have so much that I'm going to do with my life in the next eighty years.
And there is something so beautifully comforting in that. This mere fact is what makes thinking positively so much easier for me. I know there's still so much to come, but there's no way it can be all bad. You have to suffer through the bad to get to the good. No rain, no flowers, right?
