Sleeping With The Enemy
Lately I have been feeling pinned down by fear of the unknown. I have spent countless nights tossing and turning while divulging endless hypothetical situations only to wake up feeling exhausted and defeated.
An insight to Chelsea’s mind at 2:36AM: Will I die in my cubicle? Is it possible for student loans to vanish into thin air? When will the time come that my boyfriend and I are in the same state for more than 3 days? What else can I do to hustle harder? How does one grow a money tree? Why is making friends later on in life so damn hard? How many more miles do I need to run to look like Gigi Hadid?
Throughout our whole life we have been programmed to continually be prepared for the next step. In middle school we were prepped to survive among the big bad high-schoolers. Senior year of high-school we were vigorously assembled to conquer our college years and in the blink of an eye there we were, standing at our college graduation with a fat grin on our face and the fear of the unknown creeping into our bloodstream. Once the thrill of graduation parties died down our parents gave us the “you are on your own now” chat and just like that we were tossed into the real world like a goldfish being dumped into a bowl.
* Splash *
Oh hey adult life, you are all things terrifying and unfamiliar and I just want my mom.
For whatever reason I have recently found myself in fight or flight mode. I have spent valuable time ducking from life’s bombs and letting anxiety bring tears to my eyes. Luckily, this past weekend a new wave, a wave of familiar feeling, crashed onto me and I wanted to share with you in case you too have ever felt yourself drowning in the “what if’s” or in the “how do I control this.”
The fear of the unknown is a stigma that will forever be dangling around attempting to latch onto us. My view point? Whether you are 21 or on the brink of turning 30 – your future is going to be whatever you make of it, so why not make it exciting and beautiful? And when those life challenges come out of left field and slap you across the face remember that you, and only you, have the power to choose how you are going to react. Are you going to fall 7 times to stand up 8 or are you going to lay there whining about it? Instead of cringing in fear of where to place your next step put your foot down with confidence and tell yourself that you are a bad ass and that you are brave for trying. Celebrate new experiences that have yet to be, friends that you have not yet laughed with and the kind of love that will one day have you saying “I do.” In the meantime, never forget the experiences that have molded you, the friends that have stood by you, and the love that has already touched you.
Let’s make a pact that instead of cowering over in fear that we will open our arms to what’s to come and be forever thankful for both the steep mountains and smooth roads.
