*This article was inspired by this post. 

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If you’re anything like me, you feel anxious—a lot.

Sometimes I’ve got this strange feeling
That is hard to describe.
I can’t set it free,
I don’t have the keys to its lock,
I’m stuck with it.
Until it goes to sleep,
Waiting for the perfect moment,
To wake up again.

I have dealt with feeling worried my whole life.

When I was about to finish high school, I didn’t know what I was going to do with my life, what I was going to study, or if I even wanted to leave the city for an adventure.

I started to have a lot of doubts and felt overwhelmed by the idea that I was going to be rejected, that I didn’t have enough knowledge, and more importantly, that I didn’t know who I was.

I would overthink a lot, and eventually reached a point where I isolated myself from everyone and everything.

Worry makes us do funny things. We might be tempted to keep doing more of what we’ve been doing, hoping that this time it will be different. I did a whole lot of this kind of repetition and ended up creating more problems than I got rid of.

Several times, my “improvements” produced even worse results than I was getting before.

I was trying too hard to relax. I was looking for low hanging fruits.

But at a certain point I realized that the only person in control of my emotions and thoughts is me. I get to control this.

I took a deep breath and my journey began when I decided to work on myself. Step-by-step, I started to get to know me. I became my own best friend.

I’m not going to lie though—it wasn’t easy and I still struggle and learn at the same time. But when I remember that I alone control my emotions and thoughts, I feel empowered and motivated to keep going.

This is what I have to share and I find that it can feel relieving when someone else expresses the feelings we’ve been trying to put into words for so long. It can help us remember that we’re not alone.

And I want you know, dear reader, that you are not alone.

Expression also works both ways. If you open up, it might encourage others to do the same. It’s not always easy to describe how you’re feeling and if you can’t think of one word, then use lots.

Be genuine. Be kind. Listen.

I wrote this last night:

The day may not be beautiful, 
But relax.
It will not last long,
Trust the hours.
Like you have arrived now,
they will carry you to different places.

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