I have had a long journey with anxiety.
And I can honestly say that I’m thankful for the anxiety that I have wrestled with.
I don’t think I could, or would have said that while in the midst of my journey. But at times I can step back from it, gain some perspective — and see that it was in the times that I was truly anxious that I grew the most as a person.
Anxiety comes in all forms. It can be mild and it can be severe. So though I have been thankful for mine and what it has taught me — I don’t say that in any way to minimize your experience or what pain it has caused in your life.
As I talk about in my book, my anxiety set in early on. It was most likely happening in the 5 years leading up to my mom’s death from breast cancer as that was an anxious time in our house and family life. And since her death when I was 11, I have wrestled with anxiety in many ways. So much so that it has almost become an intimate ally at times. (Or in the words of Soren Kierkegaard, our “best teacher.”)
Over the next couple of weeks I’m going to shoot some casual, unedited videos talking about anxiety and how we can look at it different. I’m also going to share some strategies and tools to help manage it in our lives, and how to best use it as a catalyst for growth.
