After an intense few weeks of worrying and entire morning (today) spent in bed, I feel like the fog is lifting.

Here’s what I’ve learned, and I hope to come back to this post when I need reminding:

1. This is me. I am a worrier. Other people worry, too but in different ways. I am who and how I am, I wouldn’t be where I am if I weren’t. Things are not “despite” the way I am…they are part of me. So rather than fighting or berating myself I need to learn to live with self-compassion.

2. The worry will not be cured, but it can be “managed.” On the other hand, sometimes it will just be like that. The amount or number of days might vary, but ultimately they will pass.

3. Worry is just that – it is thinking, considering, and worrying. Worrying is not the facts, it’s about what HASN’T HAPPENED YET.

4. The one thing I do need to manage is how I take it out on my skin. I have to control that, through relaxation techniques or awareness or whatever. Right now my skin is getting better, but I find myself still itching because of what’s in my head (emotional itching!). I can feel the difference between when my body is relaxed and not.