Valleys build strength.

An episode of prolonged anxiety is what some people call a valley experience in life. This is nothing new in human experience. King David of Israel lived 3,000 years ago and wrote of “walking through the valley of the shadow of death.” Life is filled with valleys, mountain tops, and the normalcy of day-to-day life. But in the valley, that is where we learn valuable lessons of survival, coping, and perseverance.

People who have been through anxiety say it is one of the worst experiences they have ever had. But when you go through the valley of “the worst,” something amazing happens. You develop not only the ability to handle the tough times in life but also an incredible appreciation for the simple pleasures of life.

Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, ‘I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.’”