This Is What It Feels Like To Finally Become Present With Anxiety

Becoming present with anxiety feels like turning off clocks. It feels like having nowhere to be or nothing to do by a specific time, just going about your day as it comes. It feels like living day by day, not having a specific time sensitive plan, but rather a goal of where you want to be and who you want to be when you get there. Becoming present with anxiety feels like regaining control of your future worries and grounding them in the present.

Becoming present with anxiety feels like letting the sun in. It feels like opening the curtains on the first day of spring and feeling the rays of the sun on your face, savoring it. It’s taking the time to hear the birds singing in the morning, taking a page out of their book and just cherishing the rising of the sun. Becoming present feels like savoring your morning cup of coffee instead of chugging it as you weave through traffic on your way to work. It’s noticing the little moments, instead of missing them as you rush to who knows where.

Becoming present with anxiety feels like moving your body to the rhythm of life instead of doing what you think you should be. It’s listening to your heart and following that over the call of the crowd. It’s dancing to the beat of your own drum in front of everyone, without a care in the world of what they think, because you know it’s ultimately your life and you are the only one who needs to approve of that.

Becoming present with anxiety feels like finding joy in the little things. Finding new songs. Finishing a good book. Random “I saw this and thought of you” texts. Phone calls on long car rides. Lighting a new candle. Rainbows. Becoming present with anxiety is paying more attention to these than the nagging doubts or fears in your mind.

Becoming present with anxiety feels like being next to him. It feels like coming home to your person, when all the worries of the world are wiped away and replaced with a feeling of pure contentment. You both fit like a perfect puzzle piece. You can breathe, finally, and you realize how much you were gasping for air. Becoming present with anxiety feels like realizing for so long you were alive, but you weren’t living. It feels like peace. It feels like home. It feels like you can finally breathe. It feels like stepping into your true self.