Anxiety is not a monster you need to defeat. When you fight it, it comes back fully armed. So instead of fighting this endless battle. Why not accept that it lives with you?

You feel fragile and hurt around anxiety. Anxiety is your fear. It tells you are afraid of changes in your environment. Instead, this unlikely pet needs your patience, understanding and compassion. What is causing it to come around, asking for attention? What is keeping it hungry?

Focus on that. Address it while you can. Feed your soul, and anxiety will scamper off for the time being.

You will live with anxiety. There are moments when it consumes your thoughts, but as its rightful owner you must train it not to control you. You will have joyful moments when you forget about it. You will have heartaches when you feel anxiety is right around the corner ready to eat you alive. It sometimes does. But most times you survive.

Sometimes the anxiety you feel is in fact, excitement. Coupled with positive framing and enthusiasm, your friend-enemy becomes your ally, convincing you to take action. Anxiety lives with us, with many things triggering it – but it is also a feeling we can accept. Anxiety makes us feel weak, but in fact we are strong, we are cognizant of the dangers of the new. So how do we prepare for this?

Photo of a woman in distress by Priscilla Du Preez (Unsplash)