The Art of Befriending Anxiety
If you want to stay sane, you have to accept your negative emotions
I lie in bed wide awake. My heart is racing. It almost feels like it’s crawling up my throat. My breath is shallow and a sense of restlessness is coursing through my body. I can hear every little noise. The dog just got off the couch and is now settled on the floor. Why am I so anxious? I ask myself, as I start going through a mental checklist.
Are the kids okay? Yes, they are sleeping soundly in the rooms next to mine.
Is everything going well with my boyfriend? Yes, he is also asleep right next to me.
What about the seven-year dispute with my father that is coming to a head? Yes, that must be it!
I’m almost excited to have a reason for my anxiety. Though truthfully, I’m not sure that’s really the cause. Sometimes I seem to feel anxious for absolutely no reason at all. But this reason is as good as any, so I go with it.
I start to think about the legal bills amassing and all the things I could have done differently to have avoided this predicament. I spend some time going through alternate scenarios that never could have happened. It’s like a movie running in my head called Should Have, Could Have, Would Have. Finally, I remember to pause.
