Truths to Remember In Seasons of Struggle

There was a dark season that I walked through several years ago filled with debilitating anxiety and panic attacks.  In the darkest part of that season, I couldn’t leave my house for two weeks because I was afraid of having more panic attacks.

It isn’t a time I like to remember because it was so painful.  Yet, I know it’s important for me to remember that I did walk through that season because I’m not there anymore.  It’s a season that I’ve walked through and have come to the other side of and that makes it worth remembering.

“The emotions and physical symptoms are my body trying to communicate with me.”

There are moments that I have anxiety and feelings of panic can rise up, but I don’t become frozen by it now.  Honestly, it’s a miracle that I never expected. At the time, I thought my life was going to become the constant management of my anxiety and the things that triggered it.  I’m so incredibly grateful and humbled for the tools I’ve learned to help me navigate it so that I can thrive instead of just surviving.

Looking back, I realize something that kept me there longer was fighting what I was feeling and trying to ignore it hoping that it would simply go away.  

Anxiety makes you feel incredibly vulnerable.  It’s like you’re coming apart from the inside out without anything you can pinpoint as the problem.  It can feel impossible to fix which can become a trigger point that will send you into spirals of panic.

I hated how raw I felt and tried to avoid the feelings as much as possible in the beginning.  I didn’t know what was happening. I only knew I couldn’t allow myself to be in that place if I was to survive.

“Feeling these feelings is the only way to move past them. ”

What I have since learned is that feeling those feelings is the only way to move past them.  Trying to silence them only makes them become louder and more intense because my mind and body are trying to communicate with me.

I can’t say I like the form of attempted communication, but I’ve learned to respect it and also how to listen and try to understand it.

I’ve gained a lot of clarity and perspective since that dark season.  And I’ve discovered several things that would’ve helped me to navigate that time a little easier.  I want to share them with you in case they might help you on your own journey.

Truths I remind myself of when dealing with anxiety…

~The emotions are normal.

~The emotions and physical symptoms are my body trying to communicate with me.

~You may feel like you’re coming apart at the seams, but you aren’t.

~You are going to be okay.

~You aren’t going crazy.

~You don’t have anything to be ashamed of.

~You didn’t do this to yourself.

~You are not the only one who feels this way.

~You will make it through this.

~Feeling these feelings is the only way to move past them. 

~You will heal, find ways to cope, and be whole and healthy.

~You are braver than you feel and so much stronger than you know.

~This will pass.

~You will learn how to be in control of your responses and not be triggered continually.

~This is a season, not my new life.

I hope that reminding yourself of these truths might help you in whatever season you're currently navigating.  If you find yourself drowning in anxiety or something else, know that you will make it through this. You are not alone.  And if you need it, I hope that you will reach out to find any support you might need to reach the other side. I’ve learned that while reaching out is incredibly scary, the results are always worth it!

On this journey with you,

Latisha