My whole life, I, like millions of others, have seriously struggled with anxiety. I have gone through days where my attacks came out of nowhere with such intensity and were just too unbearable to handle. These attacks made me feel like a stranger watching over my own body. Most of the time they make me feel forced into the backseat of my own life, feeling crippled and blank. If this crippling feeling is common for you as well, just know that you are not alone.

This crippling feeling

Is it even a feeling?

Creeping up from my legs to my insides,

Making me think I should scream and hide.

Once the most outgoing, now I remain silent.

I am always cautious.

I am always scared.

Forever, unable to trust.

It takes over my mind.

It burrows in my soul.

Again, I am crippled.

I try to scream but the silence catches me.

I remain blank,

No longer the composer.

Sitting in the backseat in a crippled state,

The world passes by my cautious eyes,

Faster than the trees flying through the midnight sky.

This car is on the right track but I feel I am falling off.

With the windows down and my eyes closed I think to myself:

This is not who I’m supposed to be.

This is not who I was.

This anxiety is taking over.

Do not let your anxiety take over. You pull that car over and remove yourself from the backseat. Take control and sit right back in the driver's seat where you belong. Never doubt yourself, because if I can do it, then so can you.