Celebrating the Small Wins Against Anxiety
I recall watching Inside Out 2, a sequel to the Disney Pixar film, Inside Out. It follows a girl, Riley, navigating her teenage years as she experiences new emotions, particularly Anxiety.
I resonated with this film.
I remember crying as I watched the movie. Countless of other individuals and I, related to Riley a lot. I empathized with her experiences struggling with anxiety and embarrassment.
Anxiety, in moderate amounts, serves as a natural response, like increasing alertness and motivating performance.
However, when it becomes overwhelming and interferes with daily life, it is no longer beneficial.
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Like in the films, I like to believe that we all have a little character embodying emotions inside our heads.
And in day-to-day life, I enjoy proving my little anxiety character wrong. That the unlikely scenario that I had envisioned in my head did not actually happen.
That the cashier working at McDonald’s did not, in fact, lynch me for causing them an “inconvenience.”
Though I like to celebrate any small wins against anxiety.
Whether it is basic tasks or a school project, I feel relieved that I was able to overcome them.
The first experience that comes to mind was recently. We had a group project in Art Appreciation, and everyone had their own slide to present. I was extremely nervous, as you could imagine. However, I managed to present my slide on the artwork, “Love is in the Bin,” quite successfully, meaning only minimal stuttering.
I felt very proud after it.
The fact that I was able to overcome my anxious thoughts and prove the little person in my head wrong was satisfying.
