
I received this message from a reader named Serena and thought it was so powerful I asked her if I could share it with you.
From Serena:
If I have one Universal message for you it is this:
You are loved, supported, valued, cherished, appreciated, honoured, admired and respected. At every moment.
By the Source that holds you in love at every moment.
There is no moment here you have been left, nor could be.
You can do anything. The very best is wanted for you.
You are never alone. You are always loved.
No matter how difficult things seem, you are always being lifted up, even when you feel alone.
No matter how big a leap in life seems, you are greater than the distance you must jump.
You are free. You are able. You are complete.
Lots of love,
Serena
Coincidentally, Serena ended up leaving me this message on ‘one of those days’ when I was feeling pretty crappy and just needed to reframe my perspective. Lately, the anxiety that I’ve struggled with for many years, has started to creep back into my life and I’ve had a difficult time dealing with it on my own. Sometimes it’s anxiety about not feeling good enough or about my body; other times it’s about judgment from others or even feeling alone. If you’ve ever suffered from anxiety, you probably know that it has no limits and it can quickly impact your day to day life. To this day, I strongly believe that my eating disorder was a coping mechanism for my anxiety.
Anxiety usually breeds more anxiety which sucks. I feel more anxiety because I’m not supposed to be struggling with this anymore. I’m supposed to be past this. I’m supposed to be inspiring others. How can I do that when I’m struggling myself?
But I’m only human.
It’s easy to lose sight of the big picture and get bogged down by negative thoughts that loop in our minds, but often, all it takes is a positive message to set those thoughts on the right track again, or even give us hope that we can change. That is what Serena’s message did for me. Her message reminded me that we all struggle and even if we’ve made great progress with things in our lives, sometimes they need more care and attention once and a while.
I receive a lot of emails from other women (and occasionally men) who are struggling with accepting themselves, finding a career they enjoy, ending a bad relationship, illness/injury, or even feeling accepted by their own family. Our struggles may be different on the surface, but what remains true for most of us is that we want to feel love and support from the people that matter to us. That will never change.
And usually that love and support is already there, but we fail to see it. We fail to open ourselves to accept it. We have to be vulnerable to let love into our lives. We have to take risks to make progress.
I’ve always loved quotes. I’ve always loved writing with my heart on my sleeve, knowing that others will connect with words on a screen, in a way that I will never know. I’ve always loved the power that a simple message can have.
Serena’s message inspired me to start working on my struggles with anxiety again. But, I know that I can’t do it alone, so I’ve decided to start seeing a psychologist again to help me with some unresolved issues in my past. I’ve had great success with therapy, and I know I will again. It’s scary though- even for me who has done it before- to open up and make myself vulnerable, but I know that I’ll be just fine. I debated for a while whether I would write this post or not, but I realized that if I didn’t, I would be missing the point.
I’m sharing this with you today in hopes that it connects with you on some level, no matter what you may be dealing with at this very moment. Maybe you got up this morning and the first thing you did was examine your stomach and thighs in the mirror, cringing, while vowing to lose weight. Maybe you struggle with alcoholism, bulimia, abusive relationships, shopping addiction, or perhaps you have the life you dream of and just feel guilty over the thought that something is still missing.
The best thing we can do when we’re struggling is reaching out to another person. The worst thing is to assume that no one cares or will judge us for our struggles.
We are never alone.
~~~
“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.”~Ambrose Redmoon
“The truth is that our finest moments are most likely to occur when we are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled. For it is only in such moments, propelled by our discomfort, that we are likely to step out of our ruts and start searching for different ways or truer answers.” ~M. Scott Peck
“We are all functioning at a small fraction of our capacity to live fully in its total meaning of loving, caring, creating and adventuring. Consequently, the actualizing of our potential can become the most exciting adventure of our lifetime.” – Herbert Ottto
Thank you Angela (and Serena!) for sharing this! I read your blog regularly, but didn’t see this until today. Today (after months of planning, saving and researching) I gave notice to quit my job (which is a horrible fit and has caused years of frustration, anxiety, stress and soul-sucking), so that I may take the time to re-center, focus, and pursue a new degree and new career. It’s a huge change that involves moving, ending a relationship that’s not right for me, and starting all over. This quote blessed me tremendously today, and I will save it (as I too love and collect quotes) as it will surely help get me through the challenging times to come… which are welcomed! (but a little scary at times)
And I just have to say- thank you for this website, for your amazing recipes, for your honesty and openness (which is truely inspiring) and for sharing your beautiful spirit with the world. You reach many, including me, and I am eternally grateful for you, your wisdom, and your spirit. :-) May I gently remind you to continue focusing on the positive, that always helps me in any situation.
Much love and appreciation,
Kellie
Thank you Angela. I was on the brink of making an appointment with someone- but nervous to do it. Then I read your post. Appointment booked.
One of my favourite quotes- and not really a warm snuggly one, but helpful to me anyway:
‘When you are going through hell, keep going.’ Winston Churchill
Enjoy the beautiful day today!
Hi Angela, I didn’t read the other comments but I’d like to share my two cents, hoping that they help you in some way :)
I have battled for years with anxiety, panic attacks and depression; in the past four years I’ve been making huge changes in my lifestyle, worked on my issues and done a lot of healing work. I’m definitely in a much better place than I was before, but sometimes – like you – negative feelings and anxiety come back. My first reaction is to feel frustrated, and wonder why on earth something I worked so hard to overcome is resurfacing…however this is what I noticed and learnt:
– when we start working on healing our Self, it’s like peeling an onion – we have layers upon layers, and although it feels like it’s an old issue resurfacing, I’ve noticed that the intensity is not the same. Even realising so fast that something is wrong and taking action means that you’ve shed many layers.
– we all have ups and downs. That’s how life is, the important thing is to be aware of where we are, and acknowledge that everything is temporary – negativity included!
– be gentle with yourself. Sometimes we just need to slow down and pamper ourselves for a while; when I feel particularly anxious or negative thoughts flood my mind, I try to take the day off, if I can, and either have a nap, read a good book, watch an uplifting movie, play with my cats, do breathing exercises and visualisations, or go for a long walk among trees.
– remember to acknowledge your progress. When I feel anxious, it’s not the same as when I had full blown panic attacks on a daily basis; recognising my progress, my positive changes, help me put things into perspective. It also helps me to recognise old patterns, and take action to prevent them get established again. It’s easy to forget our progresses…but try not to!
Finally, remember that our life is a journey; it flows and it constantly evolves and change. All is well.
Thank you for sharing the poem, it made my day. Have a wonderful weekend :)
Thank you for your honesty. I too have a lot of anxiety. I’ve been thinking about maybe seeing a professional and your openness is helpful. Thanks
Very Inspirational read. I love quotes also, sometimes that’s all it takes to get me thinking the right way – solid wisdom from those who have been there already.
Good for you! I know when my ED was full blast the biggest issues were anxiety (trying to fix it & gain control through something I could control – ie food and exercise) and lack of true love for myself. Even though I have healed so much in this area – I still have those moments too…I think being present and accepting the present go along way towards real self acceptance. ((Hugs!))
I have been suffering myself lately from some old feelings that seem to be reappearing these days. I’ve contemplated therapy (again, like you), but I feel like this time, I need to change and work on myself on my own for a little bit before I head down that path again (and please believe, I will head down it). I really relate to your anxiety and… “Maybe you got up this morning and the first thing you did was examine your stomach and thighs in the mirror, cringing, while vowing to lose weight” was my exact experience this morning. Thanks for sharing and being open Angela since starting my own blog, I understand how daunting the act can be.
We are never alone. There is life all around else, the spirits of the has-been and once-were surround us. The souls of events live on while everything changes. The souls of the will-be are all around too, which we must prepare for. The world is alive not just now but forever. Open your eyes to it, to the feeling of eternity and catching a glimpse of it. The present is the moment, is every moment. It is not a place but a state of being, a foreverness that draws us all together as one collective being experiencing the world and reality.
Angela,
I am SO thankful and appreciative of coming across this post today. I have been battling my eating disorder and anxiety issues for many years now and it has slowly entered my life again; and I let it thinking I was alone day after day. I really needed a wake up call and from this moment on I will remember that I am not the only one suffering. I just want to let you know how you are a huge inspiration to all of us and I praise you for all of your hard work and determination through everything that you deal with on your own. Keep it up and let’s live in the moment!
My dad passed away after a long battle with dementia. I am very alone and I want to thank you for this post.