𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕊𝕥𝕣𝕠𝕟𝕘 𝔾𝕚𝕣𝕝𝕤 ℂ𝕝𝕦𝕓 ☁︎☀

Anxiety - Annie

Anxiety.

Panic attacks. Anxiety attacks. Worries.

That's what people think of when they hear the word "anxiety".

But there's more to it, like everything else in the world.

Specifically, anxiety triggers your fight-or-flight response in your body. That's why your pulse and breathing can become faster when you are anxious about something. Anxiety is how your body responds to stress. It's feeling afraid for the future. That's what comes up when you google it.

The internet only says the dictionary definition, and what it is. Here's what it's actually like.

It's more than just having worries. It's staying up late and being unable to sleep because you're scared one specific situation will happen, no matter how unlikely it is. It's looking at something, like a painting, begging it to be perfect, but it's not. It's wanting to cry when things don't go your way because you can't picture another way for something to be done. It's overthinking everything in your life.

When I had my first panic attack, I thought I was going to die. That's physically impossible, which I know not. It can't happen. I was terrified for days after that it would happen again, that I'd have another panic attack. I was scared because I didn't want to feel that way ever again. And you know what? I did have another one, because I was so edge and worried about everything.

Not being able to breathe is the scariest experience I've ever had in my entire life. Trying to take deep breaths, but instead choking will forever be etched into my memory. I will never forget how I struggled to breathe, hyperventilating. I was hysterically crying. I just couldn't calm down that day. 

Panic attacks have triggers. Some include specific people, situations, or phrases. These things let your brain make the connection from seeing that person or hearing those words, and remembering the last time it happened. Triggers can come from painful memories.

The important thing to remember is that it can get better. You can pull yourself out of these attacks. One useful trick is to stay grounded by looking at four objects in the room, staying completely focused on them. You could also have someone breathe with you, counting your inhales and exhales. Personally, these techniques have worked for me in the past. They may not work on you. It all depends on the person.

Over time, I've trained myself to not think about stressful things. If it isn't important, it's not worth working yourself up for. It's not with your time if it isn't life changing, shall we say. What I mean is that you shouldn't get stressed out by every little thing in your life. I mean, I do, but it's not good, which is the point of this. Sometimes you can't control it, though. But thinking about things that make you worried or stressed isn't good for your health. Your mental health does affect your physical health. For example, I get migraines because of my stress. You should take time for yourself to just work on you.

As I mentioned in the previous chapter, talking to a therapist can help, especially with anxiety. You can talk about the situation that led up to it, and what happened. There's no judgment. It's okay to accept help. It shows strength that you want yourself to get better, and improve.

To sum up everything, anxiety is hard to get through. It takes time, and a lot of work on yourself. You don't have to be alone in this. You can always talk to us if you need help. Have hope for yourself that things will get better. They did for me. Because today, I'm still breathing.

-Annie ❤️