Anxiety

hey -

there’s a lot of things in our lives that tend to stress us out.

we tend to fall into habits that help ease our anxieties:

• picking our skin

• doom-scrolling

• video games

• tv shows

you name it.

we do these things because we’re actively trying to run away from our responsibilities and things that make us uncomfortable. It’s subconsciously wired in our brains to fall into these coping mechanisms when the thought of the responsibility isn’t pleasant.

there’s nothing inherently wrong with it. it’s just how humans react to this kind of stuff.

is it bad? yes. I won’t lie to you. this does not benefit any of us no matter how much justification we can give.

maybe we don’t have the energy to brush our teeth in the morning or make a plate of food for ourselves. it’s a true scenario for many of us.

sometimes it’s really just about acknowledging what it is that we’re running away from, and the things that we do to cope. that’s the very first step we can take.

it’s a self-exploration and self-evaluation journey that can take minutes or even hours to really get a grasp of what you need to know about yourself.

when we do uncomfortable things, we get more comfortable. it’s true: there’s a beauty in repetition.

i know it, you do too.

driving used to be a stress-induced venture for me when I first got my license. now, it’s practically second-nature.

our first days of school used to be nerve-wracking

“what if i don’t have class with her?”

“what if i hate my teacher?”

but now it’s something that’s become such a routine at this point we no longer actively think about this stuff

when you get over that initial mental hump, you’ll learn more. and when you learn more, these irrational hypotheticals will fade away because you will have the necessary knowledge needed to debunk them.

i want to make it clear that your worries can be valid because they’ve obviously happened in the past for other people, and perhaps even yourself. but the past will never dictate your present. you know more than you did in the past. you are in control of what you can do, and nothing else. it’s about trusting yourself that you will make it through, no matter what.

put your feet by the fire at least once a week, and you’ll realize that it was never that bad to begin with.

see you then

• Ethan