- - - the risk you take - - -

 

So my good friend and I were walking through the woods mostly being quiet but also talking a little about life things. As we were walking past a particularly shifty looking pile of leaves and such I said something about being afraid a snake was hiding in there and moved past it quickly because I am terrified of snakes. He just laughed at me and said "well.. that's the risk you take."

It was such a simple thing for him to say but to me, a person that literally over thinks and worries about everything, it was almost profound. As the day went on I couldn't get that phrase out of my mind. He wasn't saying that you shouldn't respect nature and be careful of the dangers that exist in the woods, what he was saying was that without the risk of being eaten by snakes you don't get to enjoy the magic that is being alone in the forest.

I think this applies to almost every aspect of my life, especially over the past year. I have a serious anxiety problem. I have dealt with it my entire life and it has controlled almost every choice I have made and I am so tired of it. The past year I've been working so hard to change it, working to not let worry, fear, panic or uncertainty hold me back for living my life and doing the things I want to do. And let me tell you, it's been awesome!

I am making this blog to share my experience with anxiety and pushing myself through the hard shit. I know there are a lot of people who can relate and I hope to share the ways that I'm looking for the good stuff in life. I want to focus on the positive. I want to push myself into situations that are hard for me as a means of growth and understanding. I want to build confidence. I want to cross things off my to do list. I want to take the great risk of just living my life because you only get one chance!