For the past three months, I have been on a journey of learning how to say “yes.” Specifically, I challenged myself to say “yes” to activities outside of my comfort zone. For some people, this may sound like a pointless journey—that expanding one’s comfort zone brings about a thrill and sense of adventure, so why would this practice be viewed as a challenge?
As someone with anxiety, sometimes saying “yes” feels like I’m willingly throwing myself to the wolves. By saying “yes,” I am subjecting myself to the unknown, which is terrifying for someone who loves control. Saying “no” to something outside of my comfort zone gives me control over my anxiety…all the possibilities in my head of what could go wrong simply can’t happen. But by saying “yes,” I am forced to embrace all the ‘what-ifs’, which is terrifying but something that I must learn to overcome to live life to the fullest.
At the beginning of summer, I set a goal to say “yes” to activities that I otherwise would have said “no” to for fear of putting myself into a new situation. I wanted to not let my preconceived thoughts and anxieties stop me from experiencing things that in theory, I would enjoy.
So, with all that being said, how did this challenge of mine go? Very well, actually. By putting my anxieties aside, I was able to experience some pretty awesome things this summer, such as:
- Flying to Florida to vacation for a week with one of my closest friends
- Going on an overnight road trip with a friend to see a band that she loves
- Go on spontaneous adventures, such as to the drive-in movies
Each of these events was something that I knew I would enjoy, but potentially would have avoided for the fear of placing myself into a situation where I knew that I would have anxiety. However, I decided to say “yes” this summer and place myself into the unknown anyway, and I am incredibly glad that I did.
Now, it would be a lie to say that I was 100% successful in my goal and did absolutely anything and everything without a trace of anxiety. But, overall, I would say that I put myself into more unknown (and uncomfortable) situations and have laid a strong foundation for challenging my anxiety in the future. Having experiences like these set the precedent that I know I can overcome my anxiety and enjoy the moment, which in turn helps me to be more inclined to say “yes” in the future.
If you are like me and prone to letting anxieties stop you from experiences you would in theory enjoy, I encourage you to try adopting this attitude for some time and seeing how you feel (of course, this is given that the experiences you want to say “yes” to are safe and legal.) Remember, you are stronger than you realize and so capable.
