Another Year Older, Another Year Wiser?
Another Year Older, Another Year Wiser
Ah, another year older and another year wiser? I like to think so. I’m the type of person that doesn’t like complacency. I love change and thrive on challenge. Which, ironically enough, are all pretty common anxiety triggers. I’ve said it once and I will say it again, anxiety is bizarre. My anxiety is majorly triggered by a lack of control, and personal growth makes me feel more in control as life moves around me. I love finding the silver lining in experiences—good or bad. It also helps me stay positive and hold gratitude for my growth, rather than obsessing about something I don’t have. Some of the ways I’ve grown this year have been by the following lessons:
You don’t have to adhere to societal norms.
About a year ago, I decided to leave a job that was causing unnecessary stress and extreme anxiety. Society teaches you that you aren’t supposed to leave a job without having another, and there’s just a general sense of judgement that is cast upon unemployment. I felt myself scared to make the decision and having to defend why I made it. The fact of the matter is that it was affecting me not only mentally, but also manifesting physically. I had to cut out the noise and be confident in my sabbatical, clear my head, and move back into a better mindset before moving forward in my career and life.
You can’t be dead set on your timeline because things probably won’t work out as planned, but they will likely end up better than you expected.
Do I have everything figured out that I thought I would by now? Nope. But, it does me a complete disservice to compare myself to others and put pressure on myself. It’s been a very transitional year with a lot of moving parts, and a lot up in the air. I thought I’d be back to having stability well before now, but if I had, I would have never launched Positively Anxious Nic. I wouldn’t take back how anything unfolded this year, even though a lot of it didn’t go according to plan.
It’s ok to do something that scares you and that you don’t know how to do.
Speaking of Positively Anxious Nic, holy hell did I have no idea what I was doing. The idea came to me and I didn’t know the first thing about building a website, writing, photography, or social media for business. I spent hours researching and learning by trial and error. I didn’t sleep the entire first night before I launched! After all that work, it was terrifying to put something so personal on display. But I closed my eyes and hit publish, and 8 months later, here we are.
Being authentically who you are is the best thing you can possibly do for yourself.
Through airing it all out on the blog, networking for my career, and going on many-a dates, I’ve learned that being authentically me is the best version I can possibly be of myself. And if some people don’t dig it, that’s ok, they aren’t my people. Speaking about my anxiety has made my anxiety better. It has made me feel more in control of something that has essentially controlled me, and made me proud of my strength in how I’ve conquered it.
Stay tuned for developments from year 34. I can’t wait!