I have a confession to make: I have anxiety. If you know me, this may not come as a surprise; I’m fairly open about it. To others, maybe it is. Most of the time I feel like a fraud. I’ve had people tell me I’m brave. I feel anything but. My manager described me as a strong woman this week. I don’t feel strong. I possess a hyper-critical mind that focuses mainly on perceived flaws. I’m constantly striving for a perfection I’m not sure even exists. I feel like I exist in the center of a war. Missiles, in the form of thoughts, constantly batter me. Most of the time I carry on like it’s not happening, but it takes its toll and it’s hard to maintain. Often, I don’t want to leave the house and sometimes just going to work is all I can manage. When I’m anxious, I’m pretty much at war with myself. Apparently, I’ve elected to play life on hard.

I’ve had an anxiety diagnosis for years. Initially it was agoraphobia, but now it’s GAD (that fun fellow). I’ve probably had anxiety my whole life. I can’t tell you for sure because being anxious is normal for me. It’s also exhausting; being me can be tiring.

They say: write what you know. Well, here are some of the things I know. I know indecision; that guy’s sneaky. ‘But what if?’ he says. ‘What if you missed something?’ ‘What if you’re wrong?’ ‘You’ve been wrong before.’ (I probably will be again) ‘You aren’t perfect, you know.’ (Yes, I do know.) All these things and more ricochet around in my mind. I know hypervigilance. That one’s super exhausting. Like a memory game on crack. Except you try to predict every conceivable future and plan for it. I know fear, shame, lack of confidence and rejection. The list goes on. We’re all good friends.

I overanalyse. Everything. Most of the time. Meditation for me is like trying to herd a bunch of cats. They’re chewing the furniture and climbing the curtains while I’m sitting in the middle of the room trying to achieve calm. Once, I got distracted thinking about how much I think.

Making decisions is also hard because I need to see all sides of the issue. Sometimes they’re all valid. That leads to paralysis. Another facet of anxiety. Sometimes, I can’t do anything for fear of getting it wrong. I have several blog posts, sitting in the wings, waiting to be posted. Not good enough to go. I’ve been avoiding them. I’ve been avoiding a lot of things; including writing regularly. Avoidance: another aspect of anxiety.

Since mum died, anxiety has become a larger factor in my life and I’ll admit: life is not easy. While it is complex, it is also rich. Full of nuances; not just black, white and grey, but a full spectrum of colours. By being kind to myself, listening to my body and accepting the things I cannot change and control, life gets easier. I don’t always get it right but I’m learning to forgive. Others for perceived or real wrongs and myself for not being perfect. While life is hard, (some days it’s much harder than others) it is worthwhile and rewarding. I wouldn’t change a thing and today I practise being thankful for the life I have. I’m thankful for the little pieces that come together (both good and bad) to make me, me, I’m thankful for the things I have and the things I’ve lost. I may not have nailed everything I did today, but I did it anyway.