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
Thanks Angela! I needed this message this morning.
Have a lovely day!
These wonderful words also come at a great time for me. I am feeling very alone in my pregnancy since I’m so far removed from my family and it has been putting me in quite the funk. Perhaps I should print these words out and think of them daily….
Beautiful post (as always), Angela. Anxiety seems to run in my family. My sister, father, and I both struggle with it (though mine is less severe as theirs). Both of them medicate to relieve the symptoms, but I wish that they’d confront the roots of the problem instead. Putting a band-aid on it won’t help long-term. You should be so proud of yourself for taking this leap. You’re an amazing person and such a role model to others. I’ve even emailed before letting you know how much you’ve positively impacted my life. Thanks for sharing this with us. :)
Hi Angela:
My heart leapt when I started reading your post – timed to compliment right now when I am really trying to overcome a lot of self doubt and fear/anxiety – even more so when you mentioned going to see someone. I just started doing this a few months ago and it’s very helpful. it also takes a lot of courage, so BE PROUD of yourself today! It takes a lot to recognize that need within yourself, and even more so to take action. Thank you for this wonderful and meaningful post.
Also I read it while eating leftover berry and quinoa salad – you’re constantly making a difference even if you don’t know it :) (and yes – it was delicious!!)
I loved reading that. Although I know that I’m never alone, sometimes it’s a good reminder to read it. I can get sooo down sometimes, but reading an inspirational quote, or other struggling bloggers blogs, and most importantly my Bible always helps. God says he will never leave us or foraske us. I know it’s true!! All I gotta do is just cry ou to him. You are beautiful girl…inside and out. I look at you and think “wow”. Keep on shining!!
<3
You are unbelievably courageous to share this. For me personally it is almost scary… were you in my room this morning?!?!? Anxiety is like a wave, it starts small and builds over time to a point where you can’t keep your head above water. For me, I literally feel like I can’t breathe. I started going to therapy last week. like you I have had success with it in the past and know it is a powerful tool. All weekend I was second guessing myself. I felt selfish and weak for not being able to be happier and relax. Your post today is a like a sign that even when you feel unlovable and alone, it is not true. I cannot thank you enough. I wish you all the very best in your work and hope we will be able to breathe a little easier soon. Thank you so much, what you do for your community of followers, it is so important.
Thank you J :)
Hi Angela,
Reading your post and these comments has been a powerful experience for me. Just yesterday I was lying on my coach crying and telling my mom that I think I needed therapy for my emotional eating. I’ve been struggling with it for so long now. Sometimes I succeed at getting out of it’s grips but that never seems to last long. What you said about the fact that just admitting your anxiety is hard for you because you feel like you’re “supposed to be past this” and “supposed to be inspiring others” really resonated with me because that is exactly what I have been telling myself lately. About six months ago I realized that what I really want to do is help people live truly healthy, compassionate, joyful lives, and I’ve been reading so much about self-acceptance and health and happiness that I feel like I should just be getting it right by now. But of course, these things aren’t really achieved, they’re practiced daily.
I just finished reading The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown and I can’t speak highly enough of it. One thing that book has taught me is that the desire I have to do everything right (particularly health wise) is stemming from fear. I’ve only started to tap into what these fears are, but I know in my heart that so many of them are irrational. We want to be strong and perfect and happy and wonderful examples for others and yet, if we really are these things (if that were possible), I think we create a distance between ourselves and those we are trying to help. I think the fact that you are owning up to your struggles is so powerful and empowering, for yourself and for others. As you said, we are not alone. We’re all struggling in one way or another. And everyone’s comments here are further proof of that. I think by seeking therapy and acknowledging that it is more than ok to do so, you are making it even easier for yourself to give help and for others to receive it.
So thank you so much for opening up and sharing this today. I know it has really helped me. You are a wonderful, strong, inspirational person!
Hi Love! I can relate SO SO much to this post – you have no idea :) I am so proud of you for opening up and being so vulunerable, you are helping SO many woman in the process. I live with anxiety as well and it’s defintely something that can easily take over your life if you let – I’m so happy that you recognized it creeping back and are taking the steps to over come it :) Love you girl, and please, please, know that I am always here for you, we are two peas from the same pod :) xoxo
This was totally what I needed to hear today, Angela! I moved to a new city about a month ago and that move combined with the fact that I now work at home has left me feeling quite lonely. I knew going in to it that it takes time to make friends and I love my new home and new city, but I’m still feeling a bit bummed out lately. On that note, do you have any readers in Portland, Me? :) I’m looking for friends/running or workout buddies!
I can empathize with the anxiety plus eating disorder combo. If it makes you feel any better, I’ve always looked at my own anxiety disorder and eating disorder as chronic illnesses. I haven’t had a problem with them in several years because I’m incredibly vigilant about my triggers and identifying behaviors that can lead to serious problems, so that when I’m in need of help, I get it before things get out of control. It also helps me not feel bad if I have a “flare up.” Hope that makes sense.
Thank you for sharing — watching you continue on your journey toward “glowing” is inspiring in and of itself — ups and downs make it real, and help me put some perspective on my own life. I appreciated your writing: “perhaps you have the life you dream of and just feel guilty over the thought that something is still missing.”
Thank you so much for this! Yesterday, I mindlessly ate at a BBQ. I mean I wound up having a lot of chips and I felt like all my hard work these past few months was gone which is silly because it was only one day of bad eating. But I knew the best thing I could do for myself this morning was to make a GM, exercise and just live my life like usual. And honestly I think this way because of everything I’ve seen on your blog. You’re an inspiration everyday and the fact that you struggle with this stuff too just proves that you’re human and I think it actually helps all your readers see that life isn’t about how many times you fall. Its about how you get back up.
Thank you for sharing this, Angela. I have always struggled with anxiety & insomnia, both of which feed off of each other. I’m on vacation from school which should be more relaxing, but I still seem to be finding reasons to be anxious! We’ve had lots of company from out of town and done waaay too much eating out and drinking (in my eyes!), which seems to make everyone else feel good, but it stresses the hell out of me. I really try yo have a healthy outlook in life and “keep things in perspective” but I have been feeling like I’m on the brink of crazy lately.
This is just what I needed to hear this morning, though I know I still have a lot of work to do on myself. Thanks :)
This post is so beautiful. I too am on a journey to feeling the best I possibly can about myself, and some days it’s just so difficult. I can relate about the importance of great wisdom, though, which is why I always find a quote to be my “mantra” for the week. Having it stuck in my head for a few days always gives me that nudge of positive energy when I need it. Meditating on it in yoga is always a great way to clear my mind as well!
Again, thank you so much… this is really inspirational.
I love this… I will be sending this to my boyfriend. He needs a message like this in his life and this is just the right timing. Thank you.
I love. What a powerful message from a reader. When I get home I am printing that out and putting it on my wall!
I was recently diagnosed with Anxiety Disorder and Depression so I know exactly how it is to cope so now my attention is focused on all the good things, its great to shift perspective
Thank you for this…. you help more people than you know.
I wish you all the best.
“We may not like suffering when it visits us, but it serves us so well: it cracks the shell that covers our hearts and empties us of the lies we have clung to about who we are, why we are here and how this remarkable world of ours really functions.” Robin Sharma
“There are no mistakes in life, only lessons. There is no such thing as a negative experience, only opportunities to grow, learn and advance along the road of self-mastery. From struggle comes strength. Even pain can be a wonderful teacher.” Robin Sharma
“Immediately before a great victory, one will often experience a stunning defeat. The key is to maintain your focus and keep on believing. Don’t give up.” Robin Sharma
:) :) ;)
love those!
Thank you for this post. Even though it made me cry, it helped me. I have also recently decided to go back to therapy. I’ve used it a few times in the past and it’s helped me. I’m 20 weeks pregnant and I am slipping into a depression that I can’t get out of. I’ve always heard of postpartum depression but I’ve never heard much about pre-partum depression. I’ve struggled my whole life with disordered eating and body issues. Plus, there are other issues in my life that are bringing me down. I’m 36 years old and I thought I was “better” but it’s been creeping back into my life now for a few weeks and it’s hitting me hard. I think talking it out with someone else will give me better perspective. Thank you for reminding me that I’m not alone.
Thank you for your honesty. I have passed on this passage to several friends.