New Era Thrive
A definition of thrive is “to progress toward or realize a goal despite or because of circumstances”. Depending on the type of day that I am having, thriving could be tackling a cross-country fight with white knuckles and sweaty hands, or thriving could mean successfully using a CBT technique to avoid a panic attack while sitting in traffic.
At one point, when I was in the middle of an extremely competitive and intensive graduate school program a few years ago, thriving was an ugly, hopeless, and dark time. I was in the top of my class and actually managed to graduate with my M.A. in Communication Sciences and Disorders with a perfect 4.0 GPA. However, I couldn’t even manage to stay at my graduation ceremony because my anxiety was the type of unbearable that Ativan didn’t ease. As soon as my name was called, I walked across the stage to receive my diploma and then exited the auditorium. Gosh, that was a bittersweet moment.
Fast forward a few years later and I finally feel like I actually am thriving. Even though I have generalized anxiety disorder, I have completed goals that I never would have imagined; married my high-school sweetheart, bought a home, landed a great job, and somewhat enjoyed my last cross country flight. Therapy, medication, grit, and most of all family support has allowed me to continue living with GAD. Of course there are still bumps along the road, but knowing that I survived through a very dark time in my life gives me the perspective of a new era thrive and the resolve to never stop.