Anxiety Sisters

Anxiety, stress, depression. Three sisters from the same family.

Let’s imagine that stress and anxiety are characters. Now, these characters have a way of knocking on your door intrusively and unannounced. The unwanted visitors are uncontrollable, they cause mayhem, we cannot move them along , and they often leave a trail of pain behind them. However, these ugly sisters are never forever. They may tell you that they are, but do not believe their lies.

To clarify, it is true we cannot just ask them to leave: anxiety and stress love crashing our party too much for that. Instead we can learn what sent them the invite. There are some simple rules to bear in mind when living with the Anxiety Sisters:

1. Never pick a fight with them – they will win.
2. We are human and we have the power to release them
3. Remember strength.

Personally I can calm my mind when I characterise the feeling. Through making anxiety an ugly sister in my story the chaotic ringing doesn’t seem as scary.

Sister, know that you are not alone in this big world…

2019 appears to be the year of self love, opening emotional gates, and wearing heart branded sleeves. So let’s talk about anxiety.

Anxiety is a mental health disorder: exact causes and symptoms vary from person to person. Without going into too much detail, our mind and emotions are like sponges; we soak up past experiences and carry them along our journey. So the argument with our parents when we were 14 will have an affect on the rest of our lives. There is an environmental element to anxiety; job interviews or break ups can be a trigger. Even physical health can be a factor, like my PCOS.

With anxiety comes stress and maybe depression, all bracketed under MENTAL HEALTH – the Ugly Sisters.

May 13 – 19 2019 was Mental Health Awareness Week.
#mentalhealthawareness has propelled social media.

Again I am writing about bringing awareness and not being ashamed of putting my hands up to say “I live with anxiety.” This is a great start, but really we should be standing up to add “…and I don’t let it stop me.” This addition is the key to living from the rules and not letting The Sisters take control.

We may not always have the power to control what shows up at our door, but we always, always, always have the power to decide what stays and what goes.

Cleo Wade. Heart Talk

As long as you continue with your strength these Ugly Sisters will eventually leave, because they will soon realise they do not have a home in your story anymore.

When embracing awareness we can move forward with the right kind of Sisters; sisters who are on the same page and who are also pursuing happiness.

So…

…sisters of anxiety unite, support the #mentalhealthawareness, and remember we are human. And don’t forget that big deep breath.