Authentically Bekah

Overwhelm

—

by

Bekah
in

Thoughts racing

that I can’t hold back

too much to do

too little time

Guilt. Anxiety. Fear.

I don’t do enough

I can’t be enough

I am not enough

I try to breathe.

My chest tightens.

I feel dizzy.

The room starts to spin.

I can’t catch my breath.

~~~~~

I try to remember

what I should do 

to calm down

“focus on your breath”

I command myself

deep breath in

slow breath out

repeat repeat

again and again and again

gasp out a desperate prayer

“God help me!”

let the negative thoughts pass

they cannot determine my reality

it won’t always be this hard

I choose to be optimistic

I am not my anxiety

progress not perfection.

~~~~~

Why can’t I be normal?

What is it even LIKE to be normal?

I don’t even know

anxiety often rules me

How to be kind to myself?

and realistic with myself?

It is a struggle

a battle of the mind

I can’t give in to the imagined fears

I can’t let them overwhelm

I CAN BE ENOUGH

I can’t let them overwhelm me

I AM enough!

~~~~~

© Rebekah Krause 2026

Comments

10 responses to “Overwhelm”

  1. Sean Talbot Avatar
    Sean Talbot

    You are always enough, friend 🖖🏻

    Reply
    1. Bekah Avatar
      Bekah

      Thank you friend. =)

      Reply
  2. Branwen Avatar
    Branwen

    I liked the pacing. It felt like a rhythm, almost like contractions to give birth to a new you. (Sorry, if that sounds too weird, lol)

    Reply
    1. Bekah Avatar
      Bekah

      Thank you! And no, that definitely makes sense and I like that analogy! =)

      Reply
  3. Marianne Ayers Avatar
    Marianne Ayers

    Omg this poem is exactly how anxiety feels to me. I could feel the emotion coming off the page. You are enough! Anxiety is a painful emotion, but like all emotions, it eventually passes. When you’re in the thick of it though that’s so hard to believe. Thank you for writing this! I definitely feel seen.

    Reply
    1. Bekah Avatar
      Bekah

      Thank you! <3 And yeah, thank goodness anxiety eventually passes. I’m glad to hear this poem helped you feel seen. =)

      Reply
  4. Rob Avatar
    Rob

    “Progress not perfection” is like a mantra for when feeling like this. Beautiful stuff!

    Reply
    1. Bekah Avatar
      Bekah

      Thank you! Yeah, one of my therapists actually told me to tell myself, “Progress not perfection,” when I was struggling with feeling overwhelmed.

      Reply
  5. Veronica Avatar
    Veronica

    Yep! Exactly!
    This is so good!! I struggle with anxiety and this is it… even the trying to remember what to do to calm down…🫶

    Reply
    1. Bekah Avatar
      Bekah

      Thank you! =) Sorry to hear you struggle with anxiety too. <3

      Reply

Leave a Reply to Rob Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *