Keep Yourself Grounded and Be Who You Are

I wish that I could be the type of person who doesn’t fear almost everything. In reality, who doesn’t have fear? For me it’s, getting the stomach bug, watching my child get hurt, my husband dying, and flying on airplanes—of course these are in no particular order. These are the real (crazy) things I fear. I know it’s insane.

I recently bought a shirt that says the word faith underlined and the word fear, meaning faith over fear. This has to be a conscious choice.

This is a daily struggle for me. My husband can attest to the outlandish words that have come out of my mouth. All based off of fear, which turns into anxiety.

I have lived most of my life being anxious. It got worse after I was in high school where I had to switch schools because our school system was just awful. (There is way more to that story but I will share that at another time.)

Sometimes I question, why am I so uptight and a ball of anxiety when everyone else I see seems to have it all together. That’s a lie. A lie I have told myself for years. In reality, everyone has fears. You’re not human (or alive) if you don’t. Some people are just better at managing their fear while others literally pretend it’s not there.

Know you are not alone—everyone has fears and most have anxiety. We live in a world where for some reason everyone seems to think we all have to be perfect. There are those that find joy in putting others down, there are those who are negative about anything and everything. Those who think they know it all, and those who act as if you could never meet them at their level of socioeconomic status.

Don’t let those people or your thoughts (lies) steal your joy and your happiness. I love what Rachel Hollis says in her book, Girl, Wash Your Face: “Someone else’s opinion of you is none of your business.”

Who cares what others say or think of you! People say I am a “germ freak”, but you know what, I like being a germ freak. And most importantly, what does it matter to Joe Shmo that I’m a germ freak. I know he isn’t going to lose sleep over the fact that I wash my hands a billion times a day, don’t touch my face when I am out in public, or squirm when people walk in my house with their shoes on.

I am beyond imperfect and I can let my fears and anxiety get the best of me. Sometimes I literally will be so anxious I make myself feel ill. Why do I let those things take control of my life? I was scared to start a blog, because of the fear of other people’s opinion. Yet here I am typing away because I want to love and help others who I know feel the same way.

I will not let others’ opinions affect me. I will not let fear get in the way of me doing what I was created to do. Neither should you. You are worth it, you are loved, you are extraordinary, you are unique and most importantly you are you.

Isn’t it amazing that there is no one else like you on this earth? (I mean, besides doppelgängers.) Don’t ever feel like you are less than because of some bully’s words or from comparison. Don’t allow those nasty thoughts to consume you. You have control over your own anxieties, take hold of them and throw them away.

There is a verse I love, “therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself.  Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (Matt 6:34)