Anxiety can be crippling. It can hold you back from living the life you truly want to live. It can do really negative things to your health and relationships.

Still… anxiety can be a good thing.

Anxiety helps shape who you are. It shows you what your true fears are and, therefore, your values and what is most important to you.

Recently, my biggest anxiety has been over death. It does get in my way some times. I will think about different ways I might die and I will not be able to think about anything else. I fear this mostly when driving. The unknown of all the other drivers around me really frightens me and I drive a lot.

What this anxiety over death has taught me is how much I value my life.

When I was younger and having daily depression, I frequently thought of death. In my deepest depression I fantasized about dying as an escape from the confusing painI was experiencing through seemingly nowhere. I did not fear death or have anxieties over it because I did not really value my life.

My life is wonderful now. Beautiful people surround me, I have wonderful opportunities to help people through my work, and I have big goals I am excited about. Therefore, my biggest fear and anxiety is over death, over losing all the good things I have, and over not experiencing the good things to come.

I would not have realized how much I truly value my life if I had not experienced this anxiety.

This anxiety over death is shaping my decisions to go for my dreams now. It shapes my desire to live everyday how I really want to live it. It helps me make daily choices to appreciate the life I have.

I am grateful for this anxiety because it is doing good in my life.

What do you have anxiety over? What is it teaching you about yourself and your values?

Much love,
Danielle