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Belongs to: Can you relate to zach s struggles with anxiety sh
I went from independent, strong and confident young woman to panic attacks and anxiety and almost lost my job twice (would have anywhere else, thank God for a compassionate boss!). Finding what works for you can be a long hard road but it’s worth going down that road! Best advice I heard was “Get comfortable with being uncomfortable” because I’d always want to run away from or avoid the situations that would bring out my anxiety the most. It’s better - but definitely not gone - since it started 15 years ago.
Yes, you describe it really well. Just this temptation that anxiety create to actually walk to the opposite side of your fears and discomfort, rather than trying to explore it and take steps through it. And it’s a natural reaction! A profoundly human one. We instinctively prefer to avoid the things that scare us or would have the potential to hurt us. We choose what feels safe, familiar and comfortable even if it’s not necessarily serving us, at least not under any circumstance.
With anxiety on top of it, there is this filter in front of our eyes that makes us feel like so many situations, people, environments are a threat to our safety. That something bad will happen if we allow ourselves to connect with this appearant threat. Over time ,it almost feels like the world becomes a giant landmine. At least, that’s how I’ve been experiencing anxiety the most. Like one step towards avoidance after another, the world around me would become progressively smaller as I couldn’t explore it as I wanted.
It’s such a vicious cycle. The more you give into the avoidance, the more the guilt, shame and isolation can pile up too. It’s awful to feel stuck between either feeling safe but also feeling like missing out on opportunities, and on the other side confronting what feels uncomfortable/unsafe, with the hope to feel proud of yourself at the end of the day. It’s almost there is no real win in the end. You might know what is right to decide at a given moment, but the panic can interfere with your ability to rationalize it.
The reminder that you share here, alongside your personal experience, is so important and powerful. Embracing the unknown and the discomfort is somehow part of healing, for there is nothing more destructive than preventing ourselves to extend our experiences. It’s exhausting to put ourselves out there, to dare trying, but oh man it’s so fundamental. For we deserve to live and walk through our fears, even if sometimes they feel awfully paralyzing.
