Milan L.
If you’re reading this, you are bigger than your worries.
I think it’s safe to say that we all know that feeling. You know, the one where your heart begins to race uncontrollably. A tightness builds in your chest, almost like an elephant is sitting on top of you. Your mind is plagued with a series of what-ifs and worst-case scenarios. For most of my life, I’ve known this feeling all too well, but I could never quite put my finger on what I was experiencing. I would often think to myself, What is wrong with me? Why do I feel this way? Then one day, the answer to my question was finally answered: Anxiety.
If I’m being honest, while putting a name to this internal struggle had relieved years of confusion, it didn’t erase the authority that I had allowed anxiety to have on my life. The mind has a way of taking minuscule worries and turning them into inconceivable mountains. However, Matthew 17:20 says that “Faith can move mountains.”
As I’ve grown older, there’s something I began to realize and something I hope anyone facing these feelings can come to understand. Anxiety may be something that you experience; however, it is not something that you are. Anxiety does not define your potential, nor does it determine your success. It doesn’t overshadow your joy, and it most definitely does not write your story.
Through some of the most important people in my life, I learned that life is far too precious to waste on worrying. Our paths will be filled with ups and downs, but we are not defined by our struggles. Each difficult moment that you encounter will be just that, a single moment in the scope of your entire life.
For you, reading this letter right now, it may not be anxiety. It could be something entirely different, but no matter what it is, I want you to know first and foremost that you aren’t alone. You are strong, resilient, and capable of more than you know. Your mind can create narratives that lead you to believe differently. But never forget, you are bigger than anything that tries to convince you otherwise.
Milan L., Clemson University
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