Nonfiction

The Unexpected Gift of Anxiety

The journey from struggle to growth by facing my fears head-on

Created by Lumi Luk (photo property of author)

There was a time when I was consumed by anxiety, to the point where every moment felt like an exhausting battle. If I could describe it, it would be as if a storm was constantly raging within me, leaving me shaken and drained. Yet, in the course of a single year, I transformed. I became someone who understood my anxiety better, who could cope with it, and — most importantly — someone who learned that real growth only comes through confronting the hardest challenges head-on.

This journey wasn’t easy. It wasn’t about seeking temporary comforts that made me feel safe for a moment, like a drunken stupor, a tearful vacation, or even a long, heart-to-heart conversation with a close friend. These are the things that might give us an illusion of relief, but they don’t truly make us grow. They only offer fleeting moments of emotional safety, lulling us into a sense of well-being that ultimately fades.

Growth is difficult — agonizingly so. It demands that we examine the deeply ingrained beliefs we once held dear, shatter them, and then rebuild our lives from the ground up. To truly grow, we must stop hiding behind comforting words and pretty lies, whether we tell them to ourselves or to others.