Listen, I’d be lying to you all if I told you I’ve never visited a therapist’s office. For months I did, in fact. It’s a bit hard to admit that, but that’s part of the problem in our current society, there’s a stigma of shame that goes along with admitting that you’ve attended therapy — a weakness some might think. But that’s far from the truth in my opinion.
For people, like myself, who struggle with bouts of anxiety on a nearly daily basis, ranging from your garden-variety uneasy moments, to full-blown heart beating out of your chest panic-attacks, just know there is always help out there. And you are not alone.
Below people are bravely sharing their own experience with anxiety, and for those who can identify with some or many of the symptoms, just remember that you are not the only one who deals with these problems. But more importantly, don’t get discouraged and pile on yourself for not feeling ’normal’ and ‘sunny’ all the time. You can fully appreciate the good if you don’t have the bad stuff too. And dealing with anxiety has actually made me a much better person in countless ways.
There will be ebbs and flows if you deal with mild to serious anxiety, but if you keep faith in yourself and are willing to seek help from outside sources (therapy, meditation, medication, self-help podcasts, etc. etc.) you can learn to cope with your own emotions and actually live a very happy and fulfilling life.
You got this. WE got this.
So here’s just how difficult this damn emotion can be on people…