stop flagging the ship down

Ever beat a dead horse? What does that expression even mean? Is that how we find out if a horse has stopped breathing? Kick it? Seems harsh and yet the expression is real and happens every day. Especially for someone who’s anxious. But what if that doesn’t get done…But what if they’re angry….But what if I needed to do that too?...But what if…. Ugh, makes me feel like a kicked horse thinking about it. If you struggle with the worries then you’ve definitely heard someone say to you, “you need to calm down” or “you’ll make yourself sick with this worry.” These are not helpful phrases and to the anxious they are merely obstacles in the way of whatever situation you’re trying to solve or keep from happening. So the result ends up being where we started. Dead Horse. Kicked unnecessarily. Now to leave a dead horse alone, in fact to run from a dead horse, will take some hard work. My counselor says a fight and battle even. She told me to think about the worry as a stage 4 metastasized cancer. Once the cells begin to reproduce and go unnoticed they multiply and run free in the bloodstream, infecting all the major organs and ultimately taking your life. Extreme comparison? Maybe, but isn’t that what anxiety really is? Just a big quality of life sucker. Yep. Its not fair to you or your loved ones to be zapped of energy. We’re just going to have to fight like H*LL to bury the horse and call a spade a spade. Remember to smell the roses. Laugh even. Insert ____ helpful expression. I’m privy to “That ship has sailed, “ so by all means stop flagging down a ship that won’t come back for you. Makes life much more pleasant.