Let’s set a couple things straight. Anxiety is not a joke, it’s not something that should be downplayed and it is a very real experience everyone deals with, some more chronically than others. However, I find when looking at information on anxiety, a lot of times some of the same pieces of advice are offered on how to deal or cope with it. But seeing as anxiety is natural, there are quite a few ways anxiety may have helped you along in ways you hadn’t realized before.
Here are a few ways anxiety has helped me in my life, despite the debilitating symptoms it has at times also caused.
1. “Something is not right here. Fix it.”
In the instances where anxiety is natural, sometimes it exists to alert you to something you can change. In high school, I dealt with an abundance of anxiety and couldn’t be my best at what I was expected to do. I was able to transfer to an alternative school that offered a schedule and instruction style that helped to ease my anxiety—easily the best decision that I made academically.
2. It has helped me prioritize
There are two things anxiety can do when I need to get things done: make it nearly impossible for me to get done what I need to do because my sense of anxiety convinces me it can’t be done right now or sometimes it pushes those things I don't want to confront right in front of me. Anxiety can be a weird experience in that sometimes it makes you want to avoid situations and other times it makes you want to just get those things done so you don't deal with the anxiety associated with it anymore.
3. It's pushed me to overcome
I can't tell you how many times overwhelming anxiety has had me sitting on the floor with the singular thought of "I can't do this" coursing through my mind. And you know what, there are some things I may not do. But there are other times where I proved my anxiety wrong and confronted it by doing exactly what I thought I couldn't do just because I needed to know I was stronger than what kept me from being better.
4. I know where rock bottom is
Rock bottom is knowing you can't get any worse than where you are right now. Until you've felt that, you may have difficulty having hope that things will ever change. I can't say from experience that some situations will always improve, but they will surely change. And with every change you experience, the more opportunity you will have to grow in that and change yourself as well.
5. Anxiety is something you live with, not something you live for
I don't know why anxiety and depression seem to have such debilitating consequences. We can all experience emotions like these, but sometimes we deal with them every day, even moment by moment. Sometimes they grip us tightly and we struggle to release their grasp on our lives, emotions and opportunities. However, through this battle we start to realize that we actually can win this tug-of-war: by doing what we do and being who we are regardless of what we're struggling with. It may take us longer and we may not go about it the traditional way, but we will be who we want to be and not let the anxiety step in the way.
6. You may always deal with it to some degree
There have been so many things I can point out that have caused me anxiety over the years, as well as things I've done to help combat those anxiety-causing situations. Crowds used to be one situation that caused me a lot of anxiety. Now, I've had the experience of traveling and I can be around thousands of people and not feel like I'm going to lose it. Talking on the phone, ordering food and facing responsibility all caused me a lot of anxiety growing up. As I've grown in experience, my anxiety no longer dictates my reaction to many situations. But, I still deal with it. I may not "freak out" or react as badly in uncomfortable situations, but the anxiety associated with it still creeps around. Now I just have a better idea of my triggers and how to handle them.
There's no doubt there's nothing welcome about anxiety and other emotions that affect us physically, emotionally and mentally. However, we feel the way we do for a reason, even if it seems out of place and painful. Learning to see the good in even the worst of situations is something we all have to learn and I hope if you're struggling that you will eventually get to a place where you rule over what used to rule over you and realize that you're stronger because of what you've had to overcome.
