So many of us find we are afloat in an ocean of negative emotions. “What will happen if I do x,” or— “what will happen if I don’t?” At some point, it may simply become: “What will happen?”

We live in a society of attention deficiency. Look at this, buy that, the “cool” people do this. Thousands of advertisements on our phones and digital devices, hundreds of daily texts and emails. Which ones are important? Or should we just delete them all—and then—what if we miss something important?

If you are feeling anxious much of the time, it’s not your fault.

There’s so little time to think about what is really important to us personally and virtually no time to nurture our souls. In this scenario, anything and everything can activate amorphous fears about the future—things we have no control over—and left to our own devices, we can ruminate over an endless possibility of disasters.

It’s no way to live.

If we anchor ourselves in positives, we can chase those dark clouds away, but how can we find anything positive when we’re feeling so lost?

Taking that first small step outside of ourselves can help enormously in changing how we perceive our place in a frightening world.

We must share our feelings.

Yes, that sounds really scary, but did you know that most everyone has had similar feelings of being overwhelmed? It’s just a matter of how often they feel it, not if they feel it. Is there one person you can confide in?

If not, as silly as it seems, you can start with your dog. Or your cat. Or even your hamster. A neighborhood squirrel. Our pets give us unconditional love and squirrels make no judgments.

You can also start with yourself. The important part is to say it out loud. Speak your fear and it becomes a concept. An idea. Something you can work with. And when you share it with another human being, it loses potency. It becomes a problem to be solved, not a monster to flee from.

By speaking it out loud with someone, we sometimes discover that our fear is not well-defined, and often it’s not specific.

If there is no one you trust enough to share with, there are hotlines and free therapy services that exist just for you, and others like you—yes, there are many others, just like you.

Don’t go it alone. You are way too valuable to let anxiety defeat you.

Let your heart peak through and soon, it will shine.

The rest will follow.