By Star LaBranche
My life, happiness, and utter existence hinged on salad tongs. For some reason, I had never acquired a set. Now that I was serving a salad at a gathering for my parents, boyfriend, and his parents, everything was surely doomed if I wasn’t able to produce the incredibly important salad tongs.
Sometimes, I don’t realize what an incredibly anxious person I am until I reach a rare moment of calm where I look around and wonder why I’m convinced everyone would be as obsessed as I was about salad tongs. As if, everyone at the party would be having a great time and loading their plates with food, but then get to the salad and say something snide about there being no tongs and leave early because who would stay at a party with no salad tongs?
Anxiety is never really about something like salad tongs
It sounds ridiculous now, and it probably is, but when you’re living with bipolar disorder and an anxiety disorder, the smallest things can seem like the largest obstacles in your day. It’s easy to become obsessed with a small detail and act as if there is no moving forward in any part of your life if this gaping pit is not filled with something. Like salad tongs.
This battle I didn’t win. I got some salad tongs from Amazon and immediately felt waves of relief that the party could continue. Later, I realized just how ridiculous I was being. I thought about it from my boyfriend’s perspective. Would he have been offended, distraught, or annoyed about the lack of salad tongs? Of course not.
Conquering anxiety once doesn’t mean it’s gone
It’s easy for me to get lost in my head. Anxiety and overthinking is sometimes a maze with dim lighting, and the only thing I can see is more twists and turns and no exit. I can’t say that I’ve mastered how to deal with this, as my mind is very fond of it, and I often find myself there without even realizing how I got from rational to obsessing about kitchen implements.
However, one thing I have done that makes me sometimes reconsider my thinking is looking at the situation from the outside. For example, if I went to a party a friend was throwing, where they were cooking all day to supply wonderful food for me, and opening their home to everyone, would I care that there weren’t salad tongs? I probably wouldn’t even notice!
I am always a work in progress
It can be the hardest task to get out of your head when you’re battling anxiety. Medication helps me deal with some of my worst symptoms. However, a great deal of how I cope with anxiety has been reconditioning my thinking and reminding myself that what is going on in my head is not an accurate reflection of reality.
Sometimes I win and manage to calm down enough to see that whatever I was obsessing about is pointless or out of my control or not even an issue. But sometimes I lose and give into my obsession and anxiety. Sometimes it’s a small thing like salad tongs. Other times it’s much larger things. Occasionally, it manifests itself in maxed out credit cards.
But no matter what happens, I tell myself tomorrow is a new day with new opportunities. I am learning more and more about my behavior and how to handle my mental illnesses. I don’t always win, but I don’t always lose. Sometimes, surviving is a good goal and thriving is something to work on tomorrow.
–
Have you battled with mental health issues? Have you managed to learn a few lessons from it? Do you want to share what you have learned -good or bad- with our readers? Send a 500-word article to storyteller@culturacolectiva.com for the chance to be published and let your voice be heard around the world!
–
***
More articles on personal growth and learning, click here:
4 Things Behind Your Reluctance Towards Plunging Into A New Relationship
Find Your Purpose In Life By Following These 5 Japanese Rules
LIFESTYLE Shopping Anxiety And The Paradoxes Of Looking For The Perfect Gift
***
