Dear Anxiety: Today, You Won — But I’m Still Here

Dear Anxiety,

Today, you won.
You pulled me under before I even had a chance to catch my breath.
You tightened your grip around my chest and flooded my mind with fear.
You made every small task feel impossible, every breath feel heavy.

Today, you convinced me I wasn’t safe, even though nothing around me had changed.
You made my own body feel foreign, threatening, fragile.
You tricked me into doubting myself — again.

And you know what?
I’m not going to pretend you didn’t get the better of me today.
You did.

I canceled plans.
I cried in the bathroom.
I second-guessed every heartbeat, every thought, every moment.

But here’s what you didn’t take:
I’m still here.

You won the battle today,
but you didn’t break me.
You didn’t erase me.
You didn’t take away the part of me that’s stubborn enough to get back up tomorrow.

You are loud, Anxiety.
You are heavy.
You are relentless.

But so am I.

One bad day doesn’t define me.
One hard moment doesn’t erase all the progress I’ve made.
One lost battle doesn’t mean I’ve lost the war.

I’m still breathing.
I’m still standing.
I’m still fighting.

You may have won today.
But I’m not done.

Not even close.

— Shanice

---

These are my real, raw letters to my anxiety.
Some days, it wins. Some days, I fight back.
Either way, these words are proof that I’m still here, still breathing, still trying.
If you’re fighting too, you’re not alone. 🖤