My heart is thumping so loud the sound is almost deafening.

It feels like my heart could burst out of my chest.

I want to crawl out of skin.

I’m not visibly sick.
But my anxiety is slowly, silently and I visibly draining the life out of me.

It feels like there is an elephant sitting on top of me.

It’s so hard to breathe.
It’s so hard to make the tears stop.
I want to scream but I’m often lost for words.

I want to be okay but honestly most days I’m not.

Some days all I can do is fake a smile.
Some days it takes all the strength I can muster just to take a shower.
Some days all I can do is try again tomorrow.

Anxiety is a beast.

It can be made bigger or smaller.
But it never really goes away.

Some days it feels like the overwhelming feeling is here to stay.
But just like any beast, I’ve found my anxiety can be tamed.

My anxiety doesn’t always have to run the show.
I have the power to turn my anxiety from useless to useful.
It’s simply a matter of perspective and control.

Anxiety is our body’s most basic tool.
A built in worry-bot to “always keep us safe,”
But our anxiety didn’t come with an instruction manual.
It’s up to us to learn from our anxiety.

What are our fears trying to tell us?

Knowing our triggers and how our brain copes and adjusts to our surroundings can help.

Most of all, it’s learning to ride the waves of uncertainty.

Accepting imperfection is a natural state of life.

It’s learning how to hold it together and breathe when all seems like it’s falling apart.

It’s looking down on my feet and focusing on the here and now because that’s all we can really control.

Anxiety may be ever present in our lives, but it doesn’t have to constantly overwhelm us.

I’m slowly accepting that anxiety will always be a part of me.
It just doesn’t have to be one of the biggest parts of me.