Even though anxiety can be so awful, it has taught me so much. It has made me more tender and understanding towards others. A few months ago, I was walking on my College's campus. I was walking just a few steps behind someone who was smoking. I didn't notice this until I inhaled and felt a huge amount of smoke enter my lungs. I have smelled smoke many times, but this time I got a face full and more than I had ever inhaled at one time. A year or two earlier, my thoughts probably would have been something like this, "Who is this guy? Doesn't he know smoking is bad for you? How rude is he to be smoking around other people! Idiot!" I may have even shot the man a dirty look as I passed him on my way to class. But, on this day, I didn't really think those things or give the man a dirty look. Instead, I wondered who this man was and the story of his life. It could be assumed by his outward appearance that he had had a hard life so far. I have no idea what his personal battles and struggles are. All I know is that God loves him, and that is enough. What my anxiety has taught me is that everyone deserves our respect.
