Hi all,
Its so good to see new members joining here all the time because this site has been life changing for me and I know it can be for anyone who joins and works with themselves using the program steps.
I reaped the rewards of my hard work with myself over the last year by having a holiday season that was markedly calmer and peaceful than any others. My externals didn't change and from a certain perspective (a negative one) there were lots of things I could say I wish were different. But the beauty of where I am today is that I didn't focus on the negatives over the holidays. Everyone around me had their own experience, their own needs, and their own thing going on. I didn't look to them to change so that I could have a better holiday each day, I looked continually into myself to find what was good about what was going on around me, and what there was to enjoy in each moment. When others around me were negative in their words, I didn't believe them, I just automatically thought "thats their belief, not mine".
I managed my anxiety, and was also confident about being assertive about what I needed each day. I had a lot more patience for everyone.
For years I have envisioned a life where the people around me are happier, and there is more joy when I am with them. This year I was more focused on giving myself the things I can to feel joy and not looking to other people to change. When I started out with this program I had the smallest sense of what anxiety was doing to my life day to day. I have a much better sense of what anxiety does, how to manage it and that once it is removed as a road block, there are great things about myself to feel and experience. There was a lot of love and confidence that was being obscured by negative thinking and panic. I am happy to find out my suspicions are true, life can be about more than fear and anxiety and negativity.
I wanted to post this to add to the success stories so others can be inspired. You can get a handle on all your anxiety. It is possible. Don't give up on that goal.
