I sometimes get quizzical looks and questions about having suffered badly from anxiety. It was such a long time ago but even now, I remember exactly how debilitating it felt. I’m naturally confident and upbeat and some would say quite a strong personality…….although I’m aware that some may phrase that differently !!
I notice that for some, anxiety becomes like leakage, like they’ve been strong for too long and the anxiety they feel is because they’ve hit their limit. I often talk about anxiety as being like a bucket full of water. When the bucket becomes full, the slightest little drip means that the bucket overflows. When the bucket overflows, we become anxious and feel out of control, because life starts to feel out of control.
Feeling out of control is particularly relevant in anxiety when you’re typically a strong person. We all have our limits and no matter how strong you are, there’s a limit. The more competent and strong and together you usually are, the more feeling out of control will bother you.
Please don’t confuse control with being controlling. Liking to feel in control is about being organised and on-top of things, being controlling is something else entirely.
It’s common to be strong, together and confident and still struggle with anxiety. The questions to ask yourself are ones about limitations and how full that bucket is.
Here’s to you all tipping some water out that bucket.