Saveta Maria Young

ANXIETY IS EXHAUSTING — AND YOU DO NOT OWE ANYONE AN APOLOGY FOR IT

If you live with anxiety, chances are you’ve heard some variation of:

“Just relax.”
“Try not to worry so much.”
“You’re overthinking it.”

If only it were that simple.

Anxiety is not a lack of strength. It is not attention-seeking. It is not a personal failure. It is a legitimate health condition that affects millions of people, including many who appear calm, capable, successful, and perfectly fine on the outside.

While anxiety may not disappear overnight, there are practical things that can help take the edge off when your mind starts racing:

• Step outside for a few minutes. Fresh air and a change of surroundings can interrupt an anxious spiral.

• Lift your eyes and look into the distance. A far-away view naturally encourages your body and mind to shift out of “threat mode.”

• Slow down your breathing. Even a few deeper, slower breaths can help signal safety to your nervous system.

• Put your feet firmly on the floor and notice where you are right now. Anxiety often lives in the future. Grounding brings you back to the present.

• Limit your exposure to upsetting news and social media when you are already feeling overwhelmed.

• Move your body. A short walk around the block can sometimes do more than another hour of worrying.

• Ask yourself, “What do I know for certain?” Anxiety often fills in the blanks with worst-case scenarios.

• Reach out to someone you trust. You do not have to carry everything alone.

• Be gentle with yourself on difficult days. Some days are about thriving. Other days are simply about getting through.

Most importantly, remember this:

Living with anxiety does not make you weak, broken, dramatic, or difficult. It makes you human.

There is courage in acknowledging anxiety. There is wisdom in seeking support. And there is absolutely no shame in having a nervous system that occasionally needs a little extra care.

You deserve the same compassion you so freely give to others.

SPIDER SUPERSTITIONS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

Part 2 of 2

Spider superstitions can be found on nearly every continent, with some traditions dating back hundreds or even thousands of years.

• In England, a spider crawling across your clothing was often believed to signal incoming financial good fortune.

• In Germany, killing a spider unnecessarily was considered bad luck because spiders were thought to bring blessings into the home.

• In parts of China, a spider descending on a thread from the ceiling was called the “happy insect” and was believed to announce good news.

• Some Scottish traditions held that a spider crossing your path in the morning could indicate an unexpected visitor.

• In several Eastern European countries, finding a spider in the home was interpreted as a sign that the household would remain protected from harm.

• Sailors once paid close attention to spiders aboard ships. A spider actively weaving its web was often considered a sign of fair weather ahead.

• In portions of the American South, seeing a spider spin a web near a doorway was believed to indicate that important guests would soon arrive.

• Some cultures taught that disturbing a spider’s web invited misfortune because the web represented the natural order of life.

Although modern science does not support spiders as predictors of future events, these enduring traditions reveal how closely our ancestors observed the natural world and searched for meaning within it.

The next time you encounter a spider, you may be sharing a moment with one of humanity’s oldest symbols of patience, creativity, and interconnectedness.

WHY DID THEY SEEK PSYCHICS?

Throughout history, influential leaders, artists, and public figures have sometimes turned to psychics, astrologers, mediums, and seers—not necessarily because they lacked intelligence, but because they faced uncertainty.

Consider these examples:

• Queen Victoria reportedly attended séances after the death of Prince Albert, seeking comfort during profound grief.

• Arthur Conan Doyle became a passionate supporter of Spiritualism after losing loved ones during the First World War.

• Nancy Reagan consulted astrologers following the 1981 assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan, a period marked by fear and uncertainty.

• Carl Jung spent decades studying dreams, symbols, synchronicity, and experiences that seemed to transcend ordinary explanation.

• Many military leaders throughout history consulted astrologers before battles, hoping to gain insight into uncertain outcomes.

The common thread is not fame, power, or wealth. It is uncertainty. Whether facing loss, danger, major decisions, or unanswered questions, human beings have long searched for guidance beyond facts alone.

Perhaps the most interesting question is not whether these figures consulted psychics—but why the desire for reassurance, meaning, and insight appears in every generation.

YOUR BODY MAY NOTICE BEFORE YOUR MIND DOES

Many people imagine intuition arrives as a dramatic vision or unmistakable voice. More often, it speaks through the body.

Researchers studying decision-making have found that the nervous system can sometimes register subtle information before the conscious mind fully processes it. Across cultures and throughout history, people have described physical sensations that seemed to accompany important insights, warnings, or moments of recognition.

Common experiences include:

• A sudden feeling of heaviness when considering a particular choice.
• A sense of ease, expansion, or relief when moving in the right direction.
• Goosebumps during a meaningful conversation or realization.
• Tightness in the stomach when something feels “off.”
• An unexpected surge of energy around a person, place, or opportunity.
• Restlessness that appears without an obvious cause.
• A calm certainty that emerges despite external uncertainty.

Of course, not every physical sensation is intuitive. Hunger, stress, fatigue, illness, anxiety, and excitement can produce similar responses. This is why discernment matters. One of the most valuable practices is learning to observe your body’s signals over time without immediately reacting to them.

Consider keeping a small journal. Record significant physical impressions, what was happening at the time, and what eventually unfolded. Over weeks and months, patterns may emerge. You may discover that your intuition has been communicating with you far more often than you realized.

Perhaps intuition is not something we must learn to hear. Perhaps it is something we must learn to notice.

Long before weather satellites, radar, and modern forecasting, sailors relied on a remarkable blend of observation, tradition, ritual, and superstition to navigate some of the world’s most dangerous waters. The sea could be generous one moment and deadly the next. In such uncertain conditions, generations of mariners developed beliefs intended to predict danger, attract good fortune, and create order amid chaos.

Among the most enduring maritime traditions:

• Dolphins swimming beside a ship signalled protection and safe passage.
• Albatrosses were revered; harming one was thought to invite disaster.
• Rats abandoning a vessel before departure were seen as a warning.
• A red sunrise often raised concern about worsening weather.
• Towering anvil-shaped clouds warned of approaching storms.
• Whistling aboard ship was feared to “call forth” dangerous winds.
• Bananas became associated with bad luck on fishing vessels.
• Some crews avoided beginning voyages on Fridays.
• Female figureheads on a ship’s bow were believed to calm the sea.
• Encountering a one-eyed person before departure was considered unlucky.
• Swallow tattoos were thought to help guide a sailor’s soul home.
• Glowing phosphorescence in the water was sometimes viewed as a blessing.
• Coins placed beneath a mast were believed to bring prosperity and safety.
• Renaming a ship often required special rituals to avoid misfortune.
• Seabirds flying inland could signal severe weather approaching.

Medical anthropologists note that such traditions often served practical psychological purposes. Rituals can reduce anxiety, strengthen group bonds, increase vigilance, and create a sense of control when outcomes are uncertain. In this way, folklore became an early form of resilience.

Whether viewed as superstition, observation, or symbolic wisdom, maritime traditions reveal humanity’s enduring desire to find meaning, comfort, and hope while navigating the unknown.

Before reading further, please pause for a moment and consider this:

If you met the version of yourself from five years ago, would that person recognize who you have become today?

Real transformation rarely happens in dramatic, movie-worthy moments. More often, it unfolds quietly through hundreds of ordinary decisions made day after day.

It happens when you choose to keep going after disappointment.

When you ask for help instead of suffering in silence.

When you establish healthier boundaries.

When you stop apologizing for taking up space.

When you begin replacing self-criticism with self-respect.

Growth is not always glamorous. Sometimes it looks like resting when you once pushed yourself to exhaustion. Sometimes it means letting go of relationships, habits, or beliefs that no longer support the life you wish to build.

There may come a day when you look back and realize you are almost unrecognizable to your former self.

Not because you became someone else.

But because you finally became more fully yourself.

If this season feels difficult, don’t assume nothing is changing.

Roots grow in darkness long before flowers appear.

Keep showing up.

Keep choosing courage over comfort.

Keep taking the next small step.

The person you are becoming is being shaped by the choices you make today.

And one day, you’ll be grateful that you didn’t give up on yourself.