Fear
How many of you are living in fear, or making decisions based on fear? Fear? Oh no, not me. But consider how often fear either paralyzes you or causes you to do things or think things that aren’t healthy or even causes you harm.
This can look like fear of making the wrong decision or maybe fear of making the right decision. For example, what if I got everything I ever wanted? Would I be happy? Would I want more? Or maybe I don’t even know what I want. Am I dating the right person? Am I putting my career before having children? What if I’m an old mom or an old dad? What if I don’t want children but I decide to have them because what will life be like when I’m old? Perhaps I will want them then? Who will take care of me if I choose to have pets over children? What if I am not successful? What will people think if I quit my job? What will my family think about my choices? I don’t like this job, but I’m staying because I need the money. Perhaps this is my dream job but I don’t get paid enough to pay my bills. Maybe I will quit because I need money. Maybe I will stay job because it pays me well, but I hate it. Man, I always feel bad about myself after hanging out with this friend, but we’ve been friends since grade school, so I should keep them in my life.
The truth is, fear is real and we often make decisions that are rooted in fear, often fear of the unknown. This is where anxiety lives - the “what-if” scenarios. We make choices all day long; from what to wear to what to eat to what route to take to work each day, to what emails to respond to, etc. etc. Our choices affect us, but they don’t have to define us. It’s normal to feel uncertain or question your choices, but when the what-if’s start to control you, it’s time to take a closer look and ask yourself; what do I want; is this working for me; and how can I better help myself or ease some of the anxiety I am feeling?