After being diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder years ago, it took me a very long time to find any positives to such a condition.
Nowadays, I embrace that I’m designed differently and that having anxiety doesn’t mean that I’m broken.
Here are some lessons that anxiety taught me.
Flexibility
If I had a nickname, it would probably be Mr. Routine. Before I even knew what anxiety was, I had developed a way to cope with it.
Order.
I make lists, I plan ahead, and I focus on little details that others find insignificant.
But you know what? Anxiety can’t be tamed.
This is how anxiety has taught me to be flexible. I’m great at planning and creating an environment where I can thrive, but sometimes, that’s null-and-void. This forces me to adapt, to slow down, and to regroup.
Being flexible with myself and with circumstances has helped me to grow as a person. I’ve become more innovative and resilient as a result.
How to help others
If it weren’t for my anxiety, I would not have become a therapist! After working through some pretty severe panic attacks in college; through attending therapy, I became very interested in mental health.
I saw that interest through and eventually became a therapist.
I consider it a gift that I am able to use my experiences to better emphasize with my clients. There’s so much healing that can be found when someone can normalize a situation. It removes the stigma and the surrounding isolation.
It still amazes me when something gets unlocked in therapy and the client’s eyes bulge open like we’ve just discovered America.
Therapy is powerful and it’s why I love my job and why I regularly see a therapist myself.
The ongoing lesson– Anxiety is inevitable and you can prepare for it!
I have likened the experience of anxiety to riding a wave. Just like the tides are certain to rise and fall, so will anxiety. With that being said, anxiety sufferers can use equipment to ride out the waves of anxiety:
- Therapy
- Yoga
- Meditation
- Minimalism
- Medication
- Homeopathic medicine
- Exercise
Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this content, feel free to buy me a coffee to support the blog and podcast.
Be sure to sign up for my email list, to receive new articles and podcast episodes direct to your inbox.