My Anxiety Makes Me Obsess Over Past Mistakes

Summary

The author struggles with anxiety triggered by past mistakes, particularly a college group project failure, and is actively seeking ways to let go and practice self-compassion.

Abstract

The article delves into the author's personal battle with anxiety, which manifests through obsessive ruminations over past errors, such as a botched college group project from five years prior. Despite efforts to lead a healthy lifestyle and take inspiration from Hannah Montana's "Nobody's Perfect," the author admits to not fully releasing the burden of these memories. Journaling and self-compassion are tools the author is employing to move forward. The piece also expresses a desire to overcome anxiety and acknowledges the support received from a short form theme prompt by Lucy Dan 蛋小姐. Additionally, the author offers resources for readers interested in further exploring mental health topics.

Opinions

The author believes in the importance of self-care practices like journaling and self-compassion to heal from past regrets.
There is an expressed appreciation for the therapeutic value of music and pop culture, as seen in the reference to Hannah Montana's song.
The author harbors a wish to defeat anxiety, indicating a proactive mindset towards mental health.
Gratitude is conveyed towards Lucy Dan 蛋小姐 for providing a prompt that likely contributed to the author's introspection and writing on the subject.
The author shows empathy and solidarity with readers who may be dealing with similar issues, offering a virtual hug and directing them to additional reading material on mental health.

Letting it all go feels nearly impossible. But, here’s how I’m going to try.

My past mistakes haunt me all the time. The memory appears when I’m least expecting it. It’s like my brain jump scares me. I experience a horrible bout of anxiety and dissociate for a few seconds.

Lately, I’ve been thinking about the one time I bombed a group project in college. This happened five years ago.

Like, what gives brain? I drink tons of water; I take daily vitamins; I eat broccoli; I listen to Hannah Montana’s iconic song “Nobody’s Perfect”. She sings, “Everybody makes mistakes, everybody has those days.”

But — maybe I haven’t let it go like I’ve thought I did. I’ve been journaling a lot and trying to practice self-compassion daily. I hope that’ll help.

I also just wish I could kick anxiety’s ass.

A big thank you to Lucy Dan 蛋小姐 (she/her/她) for the awesome short form theme of the week. Read more about the prompt here:

Interested in reading more about mental health? *sending you a big virtual hug just in case* Check out this story:

My Anxiety Makes Me Obsess Over Past Mistakes

Letting it all go feels nearly impossible. But, here’s how I’m going to try.

What’s something you held on to for a long time but realized at some point that you need to let go?

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