Dear Younger Me, Stop Denying Your Anxiety
Dear Younger Me,
When you grow up, you’ll wonder why you never questioned what you learned about mental health, illnesses, and disorders.
I wanted to offer you some comfort and reassurance from the future.
Your feelings are real.
Your anxiety is real.
Your compulsive habits are real.
And oh, Younger Me, it’s not normal to be told they’re not.
Common, maybe, but when you assumed your classmates suffered the same things, you set yourself up for years of denial and head-burying.
Take a deep breath.
Isn’t that nice? Doesn’t it feel good to have your feelings validated and accepted at face value?
I’m sorry, Younger Me, that you won’t learn to establish boundaries or know what self-invalidation is until you’re much closer to my age.
It’ll suck.
You’re on the precipice of a roller coaster of emotions and figuring shit out, and it’ll be a long ride.
You might throw up a few times.
That’s okay.
Because you know what?
Going through all this uncertainty about your mental health is going to shape you. Once you finally realize that most people, including you, suffer from some kind of mental health problem like anxiety it’s going to open up a whole new world of possibilities.
When someone crosses a boundary, you’ll know exactly how to respond (without coming across as a whiney crybaby, despite what people may call you).
Those violations will hurt, but over time you’ll figure out which people belong in your life…and which people don’t.
Taking control of your mental health is self-care, Younger Me.
It’s giving yourself the freedom to pick your battles wisely, instead of becoming a victim to all of them.
Your feelings are real.
Your anxiety is real.
Your compulsive habits are real.
But so are your boundaries, whether they’re established yet or not. You’ll feel that angry discomfort when they’re crossed, but not know why.
Pay attention to that, Younger Me. It’s a clue to what you need to do.
Take care and keep writing,
Future You
