left with only two choices

i can feel it coming. like i always do. slowly. quietly. softly. gaining speed and building momentum. growing.

ignore it and it isn’t real.

but it grows. until it is too big to ignore. too big to overcome.

left with only two choices. stay and battle the anxiety… or run away.

i focus only on the footsteps. the repetitious pounding of my sneakers on the earth.

my heart beats in my ears. long, careful strides. gaze only on the ten feet in front of me. covering miles as anxieties are quieted.

my thoughts are shifted.