Skip to main content

I am validated

Photo by: Tim Bindner Photography (https://www.instagram.com/timothybme/)

Recently I read a quote from one of my favorite musicians, Chris Cornell.  He told his daughter Lily Cornell once, who also battles anxiety, “Stupid people don’t have anxiety. The fact that you’re worrying about what the outcome is going to be and thinking what every possible option could be and worrying about all the ways that things could go wrong, it’s because you’re very smart and because your brain works really fast. And even though it sucks, and it can feel like a total burden, you’ll harness it and you’ll figure out how to use it in ways that are helpful to you and others.”  This quote hit me hard.  I spoke to my doctor about this recently and even apologized to her, because she often gave me a similar message, but it was not until I read it did I as feel validated.  I am normal, I am not petty or childish, and I am not stupid.

Most days I still struggle.  Some days I can easily overcome the speed of my brain, other days are more challenging.  The weather has limited my time spent on my coping mechanisms (hiking, blogging, photography and listening to music), which has only added to the daily anxiety I feel.

My friend Mark is back from his vacation, and he motivates me to go out and take pictures.  I didn’t realize how having a buddy with the same interests means so much.  His friendship and willingness to explore only adds to the benefits I have when out with him.

Fall is about 30 days away and again this excites me for the opportunity to shoot colors and get back on the trails.  The oppressive heat, bugs, snakes, ticks and poisonous plants will disappear soon, and that is when this bear will come out of hibernation.

Anxiety sucks.  It often consumes me.  I hope someday I will conquer it.  I yearn for ultimate peace and my mind to rest.  I will leave you with another quote from Chris. “Half alive. Heard the most brilliant lie. Sleep is eyes closed to the light. Death is the mind wide open.”–Chris Cornell.

Until next time,

Tim

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Rumination

  I've found myself stuck in a loop lately. It's like my mind is on a hamster wheel, endlessly circling the same thoughts. I can't seem to shake them. It's exhausting. I've been there. That place where thoughts loop around and around, like a broken record stuck on the same groove. It's like my mind is a haunted house, and these persistent thoughts are the ghosts haunting me. I'll be thinking about something, maybe a conversation I had earlier in the day, and then suddenly, I'm spiraling. I'm replaying every word, every gesture, analyzing every detail. It's like a broken record, playing the same tune repeatedly. It's not just conversations, either. I can ruminate about my to-do list, my relationships, or even the weather. It's as if my brain is determined to find a problem, no matter how small. Rumination, as it's called, can be a real drain. It's like trying to go against the flow of a strong current. No matter how hard I ...

Nobody's Listening

  I recently had conversations with two people I know that had experienced a sudden rash of acute anxiety. One was medication related, the other was situational. Both stated that they now had a better understanding of what I have been dealing with. With the recent changes to my medication, Although I still feel anxiety, it no longer takes control of my emotions like it did in the past. However, I know acutely that it still lurks on the fringes, patiently awaiting its chance to pounce on me. During my recent visit to Dr. Erin, she assigned me an exercise where I had to jot down three things each day that I felt I excelled at. This is proving to be difficult for me. The parameters are straightforward and easy to understand. “Anything I do well that day,” she said. As I continued with this exercise, I began thinking of a song by Linkin Par called Nobody’s Listening. I got a heart full of pain, head full of stress Handful of anger held in my chest And everything left’s a wast...

Walk Tall

  I recently listened to a song by one of my favorite artist’s name John Mellencamp . The song is called Walk Tall . As I listened to the lyrics, I could not help reflecting on the world around me. John states: The simple minded and the uninformed Can be easily led astray And those that cannot connect the dots Hey, look the other way People believe what they wanna believe When it makes no sense at all… This is a recurring sight for me, encountered daily on social media, in conversations, on the news, and most notably in politics. People readily accept Facebook, MSNBC, CNN, or even their neighbor’s post on any platform as the ultimate truth. Very few people bother to delve into the facts, and it’s even worse how furious they get when faced with differing opinions. A point proven recently with a post I saw on Facebook. Someone stated, “this proves people will argue about anything”. There was a picture of a plastic cup of water that was ¾ full. The caption below said a fu...