#everyone send nonnie the best most calm vibes 😌

[slightlyrebelliouswriter23]

Hi Em, I’m writing to you because I need to tell this to someone cause my anxiety is eating me alive. My dream is to become a writer and I just got an interview appointment with a very famous British university to study creative writing and my levels of anxiety sky rocketed. So, from one writer to another:

Do you ever feel scared about being successful? As a writer I mean, it’s just that if I don’t try, I will fall into depression, but if I do: anxiety.

Do you ever feel that the pressure of being good at something is so choking you actually prefer not to do anything at all?

(I wrote in green cause I don’t know why I can’t see the text when I select white)

Nonnie, are you my guardian angel or something? I was thinking this exact thought, almost word for word, right before I opened tumblr. And here you are. Your timing is impeccable.

Firstly, I have to congratulate you on your interview. Having gone through a similar scenario myself, that is a massive achievement in its own right, no matter the results of the interview.

I'm afraid I don't have much salient advice to give on this subject, as struggling under the weight of anxiety created by expectations and success is something I still struggle with. I can offer my commiseration and solidarity, however. Know that you're not alone in this feeling.

Something that I've found helpful in job/potential client interviews, which is handy to keep myself from the dreaded anxiety spiral, is to view the interview less as a test and more as a feeler to see if the other person/school/company is going to be the right fit for you.

Because ultimately, you're the person who matters here.

Your comfort, your mental health, your success. I don't care if this is the most prestigious university in the world–there are a plethora of Oxford/Cambridge graduates, but there is only one of you. No one can do exactly what you do.

A person/company/school could look great on paper, but your chemistry with a person/place is a better weight to gauge your interest against than notoriety. If you get there and the campus is hard to get around or the people are snotty or the professors are pricks and the course load seems like hell seethed over, that's maybe not a good fit for you anyway (unless you're into that sort of self-inflicted pain, no judgement).

So remember to ask yourself, "Is this the right fit for me? Will I thrive here?"

However it goes, nonnie, know that I am wishing you much much luck! I hope the wind fills your sails and takes you wherever you need to go.

–Em 🖤🗡️

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