Dear Anxiety: I’m Done Hiding From You

Dear Anxiety,

For a long time, I tried to hide you.
Pretend you weren’t there.
Smile through the panic.
Laugh through the fear.
Nod through the moments where my body was screaming inside.

I thought if I just stayed quiet, if I just kept pretending, you’d leave me alone.

But you didn’t.

Hiding didn’t make you disappear.
It only made me disappear.
Piece by piece, I lost parts of myself trying to make you less noticeable to the world.

Not anymore.

I’m done hiding from you.
I’m done pretending to be okay when I’m crumbling inside.
I’m done acting like you’re not heavy when some days you’re too much to carry alone.

I will not be ashamed of my struggle.
I will not let silence be your weapon.

Talking about you doesn’t make me weak.
Admitting my fear doesn’t make me broken.
Sharing my battles doesn’t make me less.

It makes me free.

You don’t get to make me hide anymore.

I am showing up.
I am speaking out.
I am standing tall — even with the weight of you still trying to drag me down.

I’m done hiding.
You don’t get that power anymore.

— Shanice