How to Explain The Burden, Worry And Fear of Anxiety

Anxiety is a burden that involves excessive worry and fear. When we live with anxiety and its worry and fear, we give up things in life that were once joyful. It’s not that we want to give up what we love; instead, anxiety is so all-consuming that it’s heavy and burdensome. Anxiety is hard to carry. The following simple short story illustrates just how burdensome anxiety, worry, and fear can be. It can also be a tool to help children cope with fear and anxiety.

Worry and Fear: The Burden of Anxiety Begins

Once upon a time there was a millipede who loved to dance in the sun. This particular millipede would stretch its head up and its body out and would wiggle all of its many legs one by one. When it was warmed up, it would cut loose. Grinning from antenna to antenna, it would tap and swing to the buzz of the bees and the beat of the butterflies’ wings.

It was dancing happily one day as it made its way along the path when someone rushing up. “Why hello,” said the millipede as it continued to dance. “Come join me.”

“Join you? Heavens no. I came to stop you.”

“But why?”

“Well, because you might get hurt. What if you trip on a rock or into a crack on the sidewalk and break your legs?”

The millipede laughed. “Oh, that won’t happen. Besides, I have so many legs I couldn’t possibly hurt them all.”

“What if you do? Or what if you break enough of them that the doctor can’t fix them? Or maybe the doctor could fix them but it will cost so much money that you’ll be poor for the rest of your life. You need to stop that dancing nonsense immediately.”

The millipede scratched its chin with eight of its legs. “Oh. I hadn’t thought of that. That’s worrisome. I’ll stop dancing forever.”

“Good. Here. Take this pebble and carry it with you as a reminder of the danger you need to worry about.” With that, both insects went on their way. The millipede’s way wasn’t as merry as it had been earlier. The millipede felt anxious.

The Burden of Anxiety, Worry, and Fear Causes Physical, Emotional Pain

That pebble was difficult to carry, but the millipede didn’t put it down because it was afraid that if it did, it might forget and dance and get hurt and be poor. That made it think of other things. If it broke its legs, how would it help its family? They needed things to survive. And their household shoe budget was outrageous. No. It just couldn’t risk getting hurt (Three Little Known Facts About Anxiety).

All of these worries and more danced through its head, which saddened the millipede because now the worries were the only things who could dance. For every worry, the millipede picked up another pebble. The millipede had so much anxiety that it carried dozens of pebbles in its dozens of legs. It began to ache terribly. And sweat profusely. And feel sick. And its chest hurt. And it was hard to breathe.

One day its anxieties felt so heavy that it found a shady tree and lay down, curling its body around all of its pebbles. It was startled when a ladybug approached, and it jumped high into the air. The millipede landed on its feet and, panting, frantically began to gather the scattered pebbles.

“What are you doing?” inquired the ladybug.

“Gathering my pebbles, of course.” The millipede didn’t make eye contact with the ladybug. It didn’t like looking at others any more (Living With The Cycle of Anxious Avoidance).

“What are they for?”

"Should I answer?" wondered the millipede. "What if this ladybug laughs at me or steals them?"

“Well . . .” By then the millipede had gathered its pebbles, but it was having a hard time breathing. The pebbles were crushing its chest.

“Maybe you’d like to put down all those pebbles,” suggested the lady bug.

The millipede looked up, hoping to get a glimpse of the sun. But it didn’t see the sun. It never did. It saw only its pebbles. It looked down. “I don’t know how.” The millipede sniffed.

“I used to carry a lot of pebbles, too,” said the ladybug. “It was a burden. I learned that my worry and fear were called anxiety. If you want, I can help you get rid of the pebbles.”

“Will I dance in the sun again?” The millipede held its breath.

“Yes. You will.”

Anxiety Isn't a Burden You Have to Carry Forever

Anxiety involves worry and fear, sometimes very intense worries and fears. Anxiety has many signs and symptoms; it feels so heavy because it has both physical effects and emotional effects. Yet it is possible to put down the pebbles and, one by one, release anxieties. You can once again dance in the sun.

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