Dealing with Change, Miami’s Growth, and Living with Anxiety

---

Dealing with Change, Miami’s Growth, 

and Living with Anxiety

Let's face it!!! CHANGE is INEVITABLE 

If you struggle with anxiety, you know how tough change can feel. How there are certain times when you have to step back and analyze LIFE; Even if, it’s something exciting happening. The unknowns can set off racing thoughts and worries. I’ve been feeling this a lot lately while watching Miami grow and transform.

Everywhere I look, something is changing. A new high-rise goes up, a street I used to know looks completely different, and the pace of the city just keeps getting faster. For some people, that might feel thrilling. But for those of us who live with anxiety, it can be overwhelming. Change—even good change—can feel like losing our balance.

I’ll be honest: sometimes Miami’s growth makes me feel like I’m falling behind (especially because of my injury), like I can’t keep up with everyone and everything happening around me. That’s when the anxious thoughts start: Am I adapting enough? What if I can’t handle what’s coming?

But here’s the reminder I keep coming back to: growth is never meant to be comfortable. For Miami, the dust and noise of construction come before a beautiful new skyline. For us, anxiety and discomfort often come before personal growth.

Here are a few things that help me when the changes—and my anxiety—feel too heavy:

• Hold on to what’s steady. Miami might be rushing forward, but the ocean waves, THE SUNSHINE, and the palm trees stay the same. In life, holding on to small constants—whether it’s a daily walk, a calming playlist, or a friend you trust—can help ease the chaos.

• Move at a comfortable pace, & DON'T LET ANYONE (OR YOUR IDEALS) RUSH YOU!!!. Just because the city moves fast doesn’t mean we have to. It’s okay to slow down, breathe, and remind yourself that growth isn’t a race.

• Validate the anxiety. Instead of fighting it, I try to tell myself: Yes, this feels overwhelming—and that’s okay. Naming it takes away some of its strength. (As a social worker, I know that this anxiety thing is a very real feeling. As a TBI survivor, I have the "Pleasure" of constantly living with it... 

• Look for the opportunities within change. Anxiety often whispers “what if it goes wrong?” But sometimes, the better question is, “what if it goes right?”. 

 I personally go back to my science nerd days, and think for every action there is an equal or greater reaction... 

Miami reminds me that change is constant and unavoidable. But it also reminds me that growth—though messy and uncertain—leads to new beginnings. 

Anxiety doesn’t mean we’re weak; it just means we feel deeply. And feeling deeply is what helps us connect with each other.

So if you’re living with anxiety while everything around you is changing, know this: you’re not alone. Like Miami, we’re still evolving, one step at a time.

        Thank you for spending this time with me!!!