Lauren Jarvis-Gibson

YES, anxiety is an actual illness. You can Google it if you don’t believe us.

You have thoughts about your future at least once a day, and can’t seem to calm down about what’s next for you. You feel like your life is this one giant race where you have to finish everything in time, and you put so much pressure on yourself to hit all the right marks.

You were carefully crafted and collected into the person that you are today. You are full of life, even if you don’t realize it. You are full of light, even if you don’t see it yet. And my dear, you are the most beautiful light that ever existed. So please, know that you were made to fly instead of fall. You were made to bloom instead of wilt. And you were made to shine, not to shrink.

We are not any less intelligent than you are. We are not any less mature or put together than you are. We are all the same, except for the fact that we can’t put a bandaid or a cast on our wounds.

Anxiety is not a joke. Anxiety is not funny. Anxiety is not something to ever laugh at. Period.

A good cry in the shower always makes you feel SO MUCH better.

You constantly think to yourself, ‘is this what I’m supposed to be doing with my life?’ You don’t really know where you are supposed to be, or what you’re supposed to be doing. You feel like everyone around you is doing so well, and you’re constantly feeling incredibly lost.

You are hard on yourself. Although you try to see the best in everyone, you sometimes can be quite hard on yourself. You spend so much time listening to others, that neglecting yourself can become a pattern.

No matter who it is or how comfortable you are with someone, when anyone yells at you or talks down to you, you immediately erupt in tears. You can’t stand when people are angry at you, and you never would want to let anyone down. You can’t help the tears, no matter how hard you try.

Make your future become beautiful, instead of something that you dread. Start looking forward to the future instead of trying to tackle your demons every single minute. Start looking at the future as something that is magic instead of something that is terrifying.

It’s a bittersweet symphony. Finding great love. Falling in love. Giving your heart to someone. Seeing a future with them, and having kids to call your own. You see a picture of how your life could be. And you see it with them.

Appreciate all the things and people in your life. Appreciate rain in the fall, and flowers in the spring. Appreciate sunrises and sunsets. Notice the world around you.