Dear Grl, A Pep Talk for Your Anxious Mind

Hey you,

I know you're reading this because that familiar feeling is creeping in again. The world feels like it's shifting beneath your feet, and your mind is doing that thing it does – spinning stories that aren't true, whispering doubts that feel so real you start to believe them.

Take a breath. I'm here to remind you of what you already know but tend to forget when the anxiety kicks in.

The Stories Your Mind Tells

When stress hits and change looms large, your brain goes into overdrive trying to protect you. It starts writing fiction disguised as fact: "You're not capable of handling this." "Everyone can see you're failing." "This time is different – this time you won't bounce back." "You're behind where you should be." "Everyone else has it figured out."

Here's the truth: these are not facts. They're fear-based narratives your mind creates when it feels unsafe. Your brain is trying to help, but it's working with faulty information.

What You Know When You're Thinking Clearly

When you're not in the thick of it, you know these things to be true:

You've navigated transitions before. Remember that job change that terrified you? The move that felt impossible? The relationship that ended and left you thinking you'd never recover? You not only survived those – you grew from them.

You're more resilient than you give yourself credit for. The fact that you're here, reading this, means you've already overcome challenges that once felt insurmountable.

Feeling overwhelmed doesn't mean you're weak. It means you're human, facing something that matters to you.

The Truth About Transitions

Here's what every transition teaches us: the discomfort you feel isn't evidence that something is wrong. It's evidence that something is changing. And change, even good change, activates our internal alarm systems.

Your mind will try to convince you that uncertainty equals danger. But uncertainty also equals possibility. The same unknown that scares you is the space where growth happens.

Your Anchor Points

When the doubt spiral starts, come back to these truths:

You have survived 100% of your difficult days so far. That's a perfect track record.

Your feelings are valid, but they're not fortune tellers. Anxiety feels like prediction, but it's actually just your nervous system being cautious.

You don't have to have it all figured out right now. Nobody does, despite what their social media suggests.

This feeling is temporary. Just like storms pass, this internal turbulence will settle.

You're allowed to feel scared and move forward anyway. Courage isn't the absence of fear – it's feeling the fear and taking the next right step.

Your Next Right Step

You don't need to see the whole staircase to take the next step. You don't need to solve everything today. You just need to do the next thing that feels aligned with who you're becoming.

Maybe that's taking a walk. Maybe it's calling a friend. Maybe it's just making your bed and declaring that a victory.

Small actions in the right direction are still movement. Trust the process, even when you can't see where it's leading.

A Final Reminder

The person you're becoming is on the other side of this discomfort. The strength you're building by moving through this challenging time isn't just getting you through – it's preparing you for whatever comes next.

You've got this. Not because it's easy, but because you're stronger than you know and more capable than your anxious mind wants you to believe.

The storm will pass. You will find your footing again. And when you do, you'll be proud of how you showed up for yourself during the hard parts.

Keep going.

The GRL Initiative believes in your resilience, especially when you can't see it yourself.