First, We Make the Beast Beautiful: A New Journey Through Anxiety—A Personal Journey Through Anxiety and Self-Discovery

by Sarah Wilson

according to the results of more than 300 studies over the past twenty years or so, up to 70 percent of people who went through the anxious ringer report positive psychological growth at the other end.

David Brooks wrote that those who embark on the road to character as he puts it, or the path to meaning and sense, as I’m putting it, don’t come out healed. They come out different.

I’m getting better at knowing what to care about. Again, anxiety is my compass. If I’m anxious, I know I’m going the wrong way.

I’m lonely and I’m awkward around a lot of people. But I enjoy talking to strangers who do unique, whimsical things. Like the old couple in the park who paint little canvases of whatever they see from whatever bench they sit on. This is the best thing for making you feel less alone.

I can be neurotic and imperfect.