A lot of metaphors around anxiety use water.
Waves, rivers, ocean currents, rainstorms… When we talk about these natural elements, we can understand the lack of control.
Most people have heard stories about fighting against ocean currents and the need to swim parallel. Many people have ridden down a river and felt the push of the water. Maybe you have been caught in a rainstorm or hailstorm and recognized your lack of control.
Anxiety has the same power and we often have the same lack of control.
The goal is not to control the wave, fight against the current, or to stop the rainstorm. It is to exist with the water and make choices that don’t cause us more exhaustion, distress, or harm.
We exist with the power of water and we also exist with the power of anxiety. By riding the anxiety wave instead of fighting it, you are empowering yourself. You are allowing anxiety to exist and even if you do not love the feeling, you are saying this feeling is tolerable.
