It’s been a while.
I can’t believe it’s been over a year since I’ve posted here! I took a break, moving my creative outlets over to Substack, finding new joy in exploring writing outside of my usual wellness/anxiety essays. But the other night I was reflecting on where my love for writing started and felt such a sentimental pull to come back here.
I started this website with a genuine passion for sharing my experience through anxiety, and with that, my love of all things wellness and taking care of myself along the way. Over the last six years I’ve continued to bring vulnerable insights to this space and have found so much joy in doing so. There is something so special to me about finding ways to share my heart, my inspiration, and my work with others.
With that, I want to start off with a fresh post on overcoming anxiety. I regularly hear about and meet people struggling through their anxiety and after over a decade of navigating my own anxiety I want to continue to be someone who offers hope because I am living, breathing proof that it IS possible to return to peace.
If you are new here, check out my other posts to learn more about me and my journey. From nursing school crash outs to unbearable panic attacks, I am here to remind you that you are not alone.
And that anxiety does not have to be a forever enemy.
If I could get one thing across to everyone reading my blog, it would be that you are so much more capable than you and your anxiety will let you believe. Whether you have struggled for months or decades, I want to inspire you to take back control of your anxious thoughts and return to peace.
I have to put a disclaimer every now and then, if you are struggling mentally, please seek guidance. I am not a therapist or an expert in the field of mental health. But what I AM is a registered nurse. A woman. A daughter, sister, friend, etc. I have personally struggled with anxiety and have done, and continue to do, the hard work to overcome it naturally. I understand that isn’t everyone’s journey and respect that fully! But what I have learned through my clinical experience as a nurse and my personal experience as an anxious girly is that everything I talk about can be used in conjunction with whatever you are already doing to navigate your own.
Unfortunately, when someone seeks insight on their anxiety, whether that be from a friend or a primary care doctor, sometimes even therapists, they are often met with unintentional discouraging comments. I remember I was told that there was no cure for anxiety, it would be something that I dealt with my entire life, and the only real “treatment” was medication. I’m not saying that there is a “cure”, I’m not saying that anxiety will disappear like magic, or that some people don’t really benefit from medication. What I am saying is that the general population is not versed in anxiety and/or haven't lived through it and made it to the other side to be able to offer wisdom. This is nobody’s fault, you don’t know what you don’t know and that’s ok!
But this is the piece that really makes me sad for people who don’t have a starting point. And that’s why I created this blog. To give others an anchor. To offer a starting point that is grounded in hope and encouragement and genuine care from a place of life experience. My path is not yours, and what worked for me won’t necessarily work for everyone. But there are some basic things that all human beings have in common and you can use that information to ease your anxiety and support yourself along the way.
I was blessed with a natural interest in the things that helped me overcome my anxiety (health, meditation, yoga, etc) and I want to acknowledge that this did make things a bit easier for me. It is much easier to commit to your well being when it is something you are naturally passionate about. But don’t get discouraged if these things don’t interest you. Your own healing will be found in what does inspire you.
But this is where the accountability piece becomes important.
You have to decide that internal equanimity is the goal and understand that overcoming anxiety naturally will take some sort of commitment on your end and this often means sacrificing things that are worsening your anxiety (alcohol/substances, regular poor sleep hygiene, toxic relationships, etc). You have to develop an internal trust and patience, knowing that healing doesn’t happen overnight. If you’ve been anxious for ten years, you won’t create new neural pathways in two weeks (although, sometimes you really do feel a difference that quickly which is neat).
If you want to overcome anxiety you have to set boundaries, have hard conversations, and face what you are feeling head on. I can’t tell you where to start but I can give you a general roadmap that will hopefully inspire you to find your own way. I want you to believe in yourself like I believe in you.
I don’t know who needs to hear this, but healing IS possible.
I believe that with my whole entire heart, and I hope you feel that in this space.
Stay tuned for my next blog. I will be offering tangible steps you can take NOW to feel better, build trust in yourself, and start to feel peace again.
