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kenzied14 submitted a contest entry to
Write a poem a letter about quote or motto that inspires you 4 months, 2 weeks ago
Perspective
Fear
Pain
Panic
The weight on your chest
The sweat on your brow
The fight in your mind
Switch
Thrill
Elation
Anticipation
The heart beginning to race
The heat building in your face
That indescribable feeling
The power
The control
The perspective
It’s all in your controlI have had crippling anxiety for a number of years. I let it rule my life for so long. With this mental illness, it is so hard to change your mindset in order to reduce some of the anxiety. I was telling my boyfriend one day how I was feeling anxious, and he told me something that I’ll never forget: “Anxiety and excitement are the same emotion, just a different perspective.” This is something that I had never thought about before. But then it made me look at both anxiety and excitement and how they affect me as a person. I’m a performer and experience a good mix of the two. Every time I step on stage, I have to keep my mind in check. So, as I was asking myself one day why I chose to do this performance, I found myself trying to change the anxiety to excitement. That was the best performance I had ever done and the most fun I’ve had with a performance. When you finally realize you really can take over your emotions, it can be a game changer. It is incredible the impact that this simple saying has had on my life. Oftentimes, even months later, I find myself saying that I need to change my perspective, and ultimately, it always benefits me in the end. I hope that everyone can change their perspective and that anyone who reads my poem can benefit from this saying that changed my perspective forever. I will always think about how I can turn my anxiety into excitement.
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What a great poem that captures the essence of the brilliant quotation. Makes me think of one of my favorites from Hamlet- “There is no good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” While it’s a little more absolute than I tend to be, there’s such a wisdom to the difference our perspective makes. I’m inspired by your courage to change perspective and get out there to perform. Cheers!
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I have an anxiety disorder too and I think I will remember this message next time I have social anxiety. I love the idea of treating anxiety like excitement and changing your perspective. I need to tell my therapist about this letter too lol.
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This perspective has genuinely helped me work through little activities that cause me anxiety. I hate grocery shopping; the sensory overload, the noises, and the options all overwhelm me. When I had to go shopping again this week I took a second and told myself this anxiety is just excitement for all of the great meals you will make (I loved to cook). It helped calm me down a bit and I think if I keep reiterating this idea I can shop with less anxiety.
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Wow! As an anxious person, I absolutely love this. Thank you so much for sharing such a wonderful perspective. <3 Lauren
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