Bent Mirrors…
Remember seeing yourself in the fun house mirrors when you were a kid? Your reflection was grossly distorted, a complete caricature of your real self.
When you looked at it, you instantly knew it for what it really was – a twisted version of yourself that obviously wasn’t true. You probably asked your mom or dad “how do they do that?!” And the answer was “bent mirrors.”
They bend the mirrors to distort the reflection you see.
You knew it wasn’t real, but without context, it would be hard to understand how something like that could even be. Once you understood, though, you could step back and see your image for what it was – nothing but a mirror trick.
Did you know that your anxiety is doing the same thing? All those thoughts you have about yourself, all those doubts, and all that judgement…they’re all just bent mirrors reflecting a distorted truth.
It’s not real.
It’s not you.
It’s just a trick.
One of anxiety’s greatest weapons is its ability to make you believe lies about yourself that you then take on as truths and live with. You feel them deeply, don’t you?
“I can’t believe I’m this weak.”
“I’ll never have a ‘normal’ life.”
“Why am I like this?”
Bent mirrors. Every one of those thoughts is just another bent mirror showing you a version of yourself that isn’t real.
Here’s something you might not know:
Anxiety has been linked with having a higher IQ¹
There ya go – there’s something for you to chew on. You’ve been so busy putting yourself down that you haven’t even realized what having anxiety could actually mean.
It means that you’re probably really intelligent, and that intelligence is linked to a higher level of excitability…meaning that you’re literally wired for anxiety[1]. Whether you develop an anxiety disorder or not, you’re wired for it.
So are you really weak? Clearly not. This isn’t as simple as one having enough willpower to just ‘get over it.’
This is a sign of a really smart person whose brain and body stores more energy than most, and unspent energy can quickly degrade into anxiety.
So…weak? Hardly.
And having a normal life? Overrated. I’m teasing, yes, but on the square. After spending 20 years with an anxiety disorder, I’m not even sure I’d WANT a ‘normal’ life. I’ve learned more about myself through anxiety than I have in any other way, honestly.
I’ve learned that I’m a lot stronger than I ever thought I could be – and you are, too.
Truth is, you can live any kind of life you want to live. Once you master the truth that you hold the key to your own prison, you can unlock the door and walk right out.
I know, it’s not as easy as it sounds, and you’re right. It’s not. But it’s 100% doable, and YOU can be the one to do it.
You know all the cheesy cliques? They came about for a reason, and the reason is that they’re TRUE.
You need to feel the fear and do it anyways.
The only way out is through.
You’re only limited by your own thoughts.
You can read more on the blog about moving forward, but I don’t want to dig in to it for this particular post. Just know that you can live a ‘normal’ life – or any kind of life you want.
And I really, really need you to understand this one: there is NOTHING wrong with you.
THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH YOU.
When you hear the words “why am I like this” float through your mind, I really need you to remember that there is nothing wrong with you.
Why are you like…what?
Why are you a badass who shows up every day?
Why have you survived 100% of your bad days?
Okay, so you have an anxiety disorder. Show me a person who has zero manifestations of stress, and I’ll show you someone who’s lying to you.
Some deal better than others, and stress manifests in so many ways that it’s hard to know where the list begins and where it ends.
Excessive drinking
Excessive drug use
Excessive exercising
Excessive caffeine
Excessive eating
Excessive gambling
Excessive shopping
I could go on and on and the list would only stop when I ran out of the energy to continue typing. You’re no different from anyone else, they’re just handling their stress in different ways.
All these bent mirrors are showing you completely inaccurate reflections, but you’re believing them. You’re making them part of who you are, part of your identity. Why? Because they FEEL very real. They FEEL like the truth.
Sometimes you just need someone to take you behind the scenes and show you all the bent mirrors. When you see them, something clicks – the game changes and you realize you’ve been internalizing reflections that aren’t real.
I want you to really think about bent mirrors this week. What bent mirrors are you holding on to? What bent mirrors have you been claiming as truth? What bent mirrors have been holding you back from believing the truth that you’re perfect just the way you are?
Anxiety will always distort reality – it’s just the nature of the beast.
You have to see past the distortions and find the truths buried underneath.
You got this. You can do this.
And I’m really glad you’re here.
