There’s this quote that “everything you want is on the other side of fear.” Well, not everything. Inner peace is on the other side of anxiety — and the only way to get over that is to go straight through.
Week in point: On Monday and Tuesday, my productivity was great. On Wednesday, I didn’t feel so well, and most of the day went towards rest. That made me anxious about achieving all I wanted to achieve that week. On Thursday, instead of a quick morning doctor’s appointment, I ended up having a multi-location medical marathon, which initially made me more anxious, but by the time I decided to just do what I could in the breaks between appointments, the tide began to turn. “Health comes first.”
On Friday, in theory, everything could have gone back to normal, but instead of frantically rushing to work and trying to catch up, I woke up peacefully. I took my time, wrote at home, and only left the house around noon. In other words, when all signs were pointing towards the gas pedal, I put the thrusters in reverse and slowed down to speed up. Surprisingly, the world is still turning. That week has come and gone, and so has the anxiety. The wind may blow from time to time, but usually, when the storm moves on, we are still here.
Whether it was refusing to be bothered, a genuine concern for my health, or some other kind of clever argument for surrender, I cannot tell you — but I can say that, when you’re anxious, it is critical to hold out until you reach one of these points. Whatever will carry you through the tension, it’s coming, and no matter how barren the current landscape, beyond anxiety, there’ll always lie the lands of peace.