By Tabasom Eblaghie
Registered Clinical Counsellor
Love Letter from Anxiety
Dear Friend,
I’ve missed you so much. Our friendship seems to have changed over the years. When we first made friends, my intention was to protect you. Watch over you. And take really good care of you. You see, you were so little and needed me. When I visited you, you would slow down. You’d act more carefully or not do anything at all. You would not go into situations that would cause you pain, discomfort or perhaps where you didn’t know how things would turn out. You played it safe when I was with you, and I was happy to watch over you.
I loved being your best friend. I knew you’d turn to me when you weren’t comfortable, or when things were out of your control.
But…you don’t seem to need me any more. When I visit you, you seem indifferent. Like I don’t matter any more.
Please let me visit again and take care of you. I miss you.
Lovingly,
Anxiety
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Goodbye Letter to an Old Friend
Dear Anxiety,
Thank you for your friendship over the years. I know you entered my life when I was hurting most. Your friendship did keep me safe and sound, and I’m grateful to you for your help. I know your intentions were good but I think somewhere along the way, you lost your faith in me. And in the process I lost my faith in me. I don’t know when you stopped being a friend, and became a force that was detrimental in my life. The more I listened to you, the more I withdrew from life. I would feel paralyzed at times; so lost and lonely.
And then one day it dawned on me that I had incurred a lot of losses as a result of our friendship. I hadn’t experienced or lived or loved or felt or dreamed in a long time. A very long time! I was a ghost in my own life. I had lived my life like it was a dress rehearsal. I just couldn’t let you drive the car of my life any more.
That’s when I stopped listening to your lies and listened to the advice of the other friends in my life. I heard the voices of Determination, and Courage and Hope:
Your “what-ifs” were changed to “so what!”
Your “shoulds” became my “I choose to”.
Your “what a catastrophe” became “This is inconvenient, but not a big deal”.
I started to breathe again, meditate and focus on a Higher Power. With every prayer, my Faith grew in strength and I no longer feel alone, old friend.
I thank you for your friendship but now it’s time for us to part. I know you’ll visit me again, but now I think of you as a cloud on a sunny day. Here for a moment, but blown away the next by a puff of wind.
Signing my goodbye letter to you prayerfully and gratefully,
Me
