A Declaration of Independence

Anxiety can be hard to manage, but after dealing with it for so long it's time to declare independence from it. Anxiety you will not control me anymore.

A Declaration of Independence

Four years ago, after years of dealing with the shenanigans of a force that has taken the name Anxiety, a war was declared. A war that would rock the very foundation of our well-being. That same war, is still being fought to this day. And I can speak for both sides, and say that no one has benefited from this. Dear Anxiety, do you see what you have done? You have started a battle that now seems to have no end in sight. I hate that we are always fighting with one another, wouldn’t you agree?

I do not understand what caused you to charge into battle four years ago. You were the first to declare war, and I the second. I tried to reason with you, tried to negotiate with you. But in the end my attempts at finding peace with you failed. You claim that it was I that fired the first shot, the shot that started this whole thing, but my dear friend, you are wrong. For it was you, you were the one who fired the first shot, the shot that would change our fates forever.

Are you satisfied? Are you proud of the destruction that you caused? Both sides have lost so much, but knowing you, you would say that I have suffered the most damage. I would agree with you, to a certain extent, however, when this war first started I was greatly outnumbered and outclassed. I did not understand how to lead an army, how to rally the troops. But as the war progressed, I slowly grew and gained power, I watched as an army formed right before me, ready to take the fight to you. And we did. For both sides, battles were won, and battles were lost.

Do you not see it? I’ve slowly gained ground, it has been a long painful process. But oddly satisfying.  You won’t admit it, but I can see it, I can feel it. You are becoming weak are you not? I’ve seen the casualties from your side, they are great. Greater than mine. Your supplies are dwindling, yet your resolved has remained. Or so I thought. You are scared, you know you’re losing this fight. With each passing day, your resolve grows weaker and weaker.  

My dear friend, please stop this, know that this is a war that you will not win. You have gained much ground, but like all great military leaders, you’ve made a mistake. You have extended your resources to their limit, your soldiers, are spread thinly now. Making it easy for my troops to take back the ground you have conquered.

You once described our war as a game of chess. But I have come to tell you that this war, is far from a mere game of chess. In the game of chess, the rules are constant, and the pieces never change. You can never win the heart of a rook, or the mind of a knight. They will be forever deaf to your arguments. The goal of chess is total annihilation. However in war, unlike chess, as both sides prepared to engage each other in battle. There is the thought that saner minds will intervene, and stop the engagement. In war, rules change, enemies become friends. In war there is hope.

Anxiety, listen to me, listen, listen and understand. This war has raged far too long. Something needs to change, I can’t fight you forever, at least I don’t want to, but if I have to I will. I’m calling for a cease fire, and within this cease fire, I claim my Independence from you. I’m done with you. If you refuse to come to terms with this cease fire, and continue to fight me, I will have no choice, but to destroy you. I hope that it will never have to come to that. I hope that in the midst of this war, you and I could come to terms with one another, and find peace.

I’ve seen your good side, I have. There have been times when you have helped me, when I’ve helped you. But even then, you still reverted back to your old ways. I only ask why? I will never hold anything against you, I know you are misunderstood, hated by many, outcasted by all. Know that I am always open for talk of peace. When you are ready to talk peace, I will listen, but until then, this is goodbye.

Author's Note

Ignore grammar problems, tell me what you think of the dialogue, the flow of the story. Maybe even tell me what how this made you feel. The purpose of writing this, was to declare independence from anxiety.

Reviews

[Coyote Poetry]

This is amazing. I liked the use of Chess and the war. Your logic in the story is real life and the ending was perfect. When people use force. Peace is never the real goal. Thank you for sharing the amazing story. You are a talented writer.
Coyote

[Zero]

Thank you so much! That means a lot.

[Coyote Poetry]

You are welcome.

[Quinn W]

Thank you so much for writing this! It takes a certain amount of bravery to write about anxiety. I've dealt with anxiety and depression for a while now, and I can honestly say this sums up so much of what I feel. Anxiety really does attack and we battle all the time. I've written many poems and stories about my anxiety, but I don't think any of them are as well explained as this. This means so much to me. You did a phenomenal job describing it!

[Dust That Drifts Throug..]

Ii can relate to this story. I have suffered from anxiety all my life, but reading this made me think about not letting it control me anymore.