by Christy Gualtieri
Everyone processes their anxieties differently, and not everyone worries about the same things. Some people worry about catastrophic events; some people worry about weather patterns; some worry about economic situations. If you’re like me, you’ll worry about everything. Equal-opportunity worrier.
Not only that, if things are going relatively well in your life, you’ll go out in search for things to worry about. Why in the world would anyone want to do this, you might ask? Well, for me, it’s partly because 1) I’ve been doing it for so long that it’s become a daily habit; and 2) because in a twisted, really weird way, my mind thinks it works.
For example: if I have an important appointment coming up, and I worry about it to the point of not being able to take care of myself, and the appointment turns out okay, then my worrying made it better. Or, if I worry about it and it turns out I had something to worry about in the first place, then I was “right” to worry. It’s messed up, I know. But I’ve spent more than a decade now working to unravel the worrying process and getting to a point where I can better control the anxiety.
Want to know what it’s like for me? Picture this:
[Setting: CHRISTY’s home. It’s a beautiful day, things are going well.]
CHRISTY:
What a wonderful afternoon! The kids are playing by themselves, all the chores are done around the house, I’m all caught up with work…things are feeling pretty good right now! Maybe I’ll —
[There’s a KNOCK at the door. CHRISTY opens it. ANXIETY is standing there.]
ANXIETY:
Hey girl, heyyy.
CHRISTY:
Oh, um, hey.
[ANXIETY walks right in, holding a calendar in one hand and a clock in the other.]
ANXIETY:
Wow, look at you! All accomplished. Dishes are done and everything! Nice. Listen, there’s 47 hours until your daughter’s dentist appointment! It’s her first one, right? You know she likes juice more than your son does. And sugar, too. What’s her favorite breakfast again?
CHRISTY:
Um…
[Looking past ANXIETY out the door, hoping to get her out]
Pancakes.
ANXIETY:
Right! With syrup and whipped cream. Anyway, are you ready?
[She closes the door behind her and walks further into the house.]
CHRISTY:
Well, I mean, we brush her teeth twice a day, and they look okay. It’s not like –
ANXIETY:
[Interrupting]
No, I mean, like are you packed?
CHRISTY:
Packed?
ANXIETY:
Yes. Did you pack her stuff? Because she’s probably going to be taken away from you.
CHRISTY:
What?
ANXIETY:
You can’t have a child with a mouth full of rotting teeth and, like, expect to keep her.
CHRISTY:
That is crazy! You –
ANXIETY:
Anyway, so you have the dentist. What else is up this week? Anyone leaving the house in a car?
CHRISTY:
[weakly]
My son rides the bus to school.
ANXIETY:
Oh right! Yeah, he’ll probably get run over getting to it.
CHRISTY:
Well, now, wait a minute —
ANXIETY:
Do you not watch the news? It happens every day. EVERY DAY.
[There’s another knock on the door.]
I’ll get it.
[ANXIETY opens the door to reveal a smooth-looking man and beautiful woman.] Oh hey, it’s INSECURITY and PANIC! What’s up!!
PANIC:
Whaaaaaat’s up! Hope you’re ready to party! I bought some sweet drinks. This one’s called…
[Checks label]
“Crying In The Shower,” and I got a six-pack of “Constantly Nauseous!”
[He walks over to the table and pours himself a huge glass.]
INSECURITY:
My Instagram is, like, blowing up. You have to check this out – so many beautiful posts from people who actually have their lives together!
ANXIETY:
So the opposite of Christy, then?
[PANIC spit-takes his drink.]
INSECURITY:
It’s awesome! You could seriously scroll all day and actually feel yourself turning into something less than a human being.
ANXIETY:
How long has Christy been on it today?
INSECURITY:
Ooh, let me check! Um…forty-seven minutes.
ANXIETY:
In just one day?!
CHRISTY:
(weakly)
I think you guys better leave.
[Everyone clearly ignores CHRISTY.]
INSECURITY:
Look. Here’s a woman who has five kids – five! – and homeschools and has a beautiful house and makes her own kimchi and is probably a model. How many kids do you have, Christy?
CHRISTY:
Two.
INSECURITY:
Hmm.
CHRISTY:
I have a house, though! I mean, it’s not clean, but —
INSECURITY:
Don’t be stupid. No one has a clean house in real life, Christy. At least get some decent filters for your camera so it can LOOK like you do.
ANXIETY:
[Horrified]
Do you seriously not have filters?
CHRISTY:
I don’t take pictures of my house!
ANXIETY:
Oh, that’s right. Good luck finding a job doing anything online. No one’s going to relate to you as a blogger if you don’t show pictures of your house. Or your family.
INSECURITY:
Or your dog.
CHRISTY:
We don’t have any pets.
INSECURITY:
Why do you hate animals so much?
PANIC:
You are seriously the worst person ever.
CHRISTY:
I…
PANIC:
Yo, listen, I have a great idea. Let’s hang out here for a few days. My schedule’s open, how about you guys? It’s the winter, it’s snowing out, there’s not much going on, what do you say?
CHRISTY:
I’m not feeling so well, guys. I think I’m going to take a shower.
ANXIETY:
No worries, we’ll be here when you get out.
PANIC:
[Calling after CHRISTY]
Don’t forget to cry!
__
My mind could definitely benefit from someone putting a stop to pretty much all of this. My ideal scenario? Kind of looks like this:
[Setting: CHRISTY’s home. She’s in the family room, about to sit on the couch, and on a chair nearby a huge, incredibly bulky man wearing a tight-fitting shirt that says CALM on it sits, silently knitting.]
CHRISTY:
Man, it’s been a rough day today. The kids were out of control and work was crazy, but I finally have some time to myself to actually calm down and relax for a minute.
[KNOCK at the door.]
Oh, hey, could you get that?
[CALM gets up, walks to the door, and sees ANXIETY, INSECURITY, and PANIC standing outside, craning their necks to try to peek in.]
ANXIETY:
Oh, hi, is Christy home?
PANIC:
Yeah, we haven’t seen her in a while, just wanted to stop by and —
[CALM looks at them, completely stone-faced. He looks them over, lifts up his hand, and slams the door in their faces. He returns to the chair, picks up his knitting and resumes his work as though nothing had happened.]
CHRISTY:
Thanks!
I’m not there yet, but my hope is that I’ll get there one day. And I know it seems silly, but the next time you are overwhelmed with anxiety and worry, try writing out your concerns – they might take on a different light once they’re out of your head!
Until next time, be well!
Christy
