Anxiety and depression: the tremendous significance of choosing change

This might be the most important decision of your life. So make it. You want change; you want to do something about your suffering. 

(Featured image: AI-generated illustration.)

Why is it of ‘tremendous significance’ to consciously decide you want change?

Because your whole universe will shift a little bit

No, I’m not joking. When you make this choice, you redefine your role in your universe. You’re not waiting for ‘something’ to save you anymore, something ‘magical’ that will solve your problem. That’s good because magic seldom happens in the real world.

Instead, you’ve taken ownership and responsibility for your situation. Perhaps you haven’t made any practical changes yet, but taking on the responsibility might be a massive shift in itself.

You’re not a passenger anymore

That’s right. You’re out of the passenger seat of your own life and now holding the steering wheel! I hear what you’re thinking: “God, I don’t even know how to drive this car!”

Well, even though I’ve used the car as a metaphor here, I’d like to give you the same advice that I gave my daughters in Norway when I taught them to drive real cars: “If you’re not feeling you’re in complete control, you’re going too fast.”

Go slowly; take the time you need. You have decided you want change, and that’s important, but you don’t have to change everything immediately. At the start of a journey out of anxiety or depression, we often don’t even know in which direction to go. But don’t worry:

Opportunities will appear

When you’re not passively waiting for magic to happen anymore, when you’ve taken responsibility for yourself, you will start looking for openings and opportunities. And they will appear. Which doesn’t mean they weren’t there before. You just haven’t been looking.

Some of them will lead to dead ends, of course. That’s how life is, and it doesn’t matter. Two steps forward and one backwards still add up to one step in the right direction. Which is a thousand times better than being paralysed by indecision and self-pity.

Being an agent in your life changes you

It does something to your self-esteem. Furthermore, gaining mastery and control by taking small steps and succeeding now and then also builds self-confidence. Both of which can be pretty life-changing if you suffer from anxiety and depression.

Before you know it, you might even feel some hope and purpose! That would be the day, wouldn’t it? 🙂

Almost all changes start with a decision. I’m not saying that’s all it takes. If I did, this would be a lie or at least an oversimplification. Of course, you can’t just decide you want change, and all your problems with anxiety and depression will disappear. Healing is a process, not a sudden act of magic. However, this process must start with a conscious decision.

So, decide that you want change! Unless you prefer to wait until you find a pot of gold at the rainbow’s end or a message-in-a-bottle with all the answers you need.