Samantha S.
Photo provided by Samantha S.
If you’re reading this, breathe.
Deciding to write a letter and share my story was something that took a while for me to do. I have always been open about my struggles with anxiety, yet it was difficult to put my story into words and share it with so many people. Now that I have put faith in myself to properly deal with my mental health problems, I want to share and instill this belief in others.
This past school year was one that yielded many trying moments for me. I had friends, family, a boyfriend, and so much more to be happy for. Yet, I still didn’t feel fulfilled. Some days I felt confident and content with my life, and others I felt empty and alone. I had begun to struggle academically and found a lack of need to try despite always living a life of needing to overachieve in school. As a student athlete as well, something that used to be an escape from the “real world” seemed to be adding to my anxiety. It was hard for me to open up about my loneliness and anxious thoughts without feeling ridiculous or like a burden to others.
I knew there was something that needed to be changed, and that change was to re-evaluate my emotions. I had realized that I had understood my anxious tendencies, yet never truly learned how to cope with them.
I had remembered something my dad wrote to me in a letter when I moved away from college, which said, “Time wasted on thinking about what happened is time that could be spent fixing the problem.”
Much of my lifelong battle with anxiety was spent focusing on the situations that had caused me anxiety, and I never began to understand to importance of understanding how to fix it. I spent so much time focusing on the past, never realizing the hope the future held for me.
As simple as it sounds, the best advice I’ve received from this was: breathe. When the world feels like it’s spinning and all feels lost, breathe. Everything will be OK. Giving our bodies peace is more crucial than giving our minds answers.
Heal your nervous system, it deserves more attention than your emotions.
Ground yourself, reconnecting with your body can help you remain present and calm.
I began journaling and would write every time I felt anxious. Putting my emotions on paper better helped me reflect on where my struggles were. Breathing techniques helped me remain level-headed and made me capable of assessing my problems without anxiety corrupting my thoughts.
Anxiety should not control your life and letting the situations or people that have brought on your anxiety control your thoughts will not help your future. Do not let the things that have hurt you turn you into a person you are not. Do not let your temporary emotions control your life in the long run. Finally, remember to be gentle with yourself and others, we can never know what others are going through, so act with kindness everywhere you go.
Samantha S., King's College
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