anxiety

A look at anxiety in its many forms and manifestations; what is the nature of this specific pattern of extreme fear and worry?

The War With the Monster
We all know that foggy feeling in our heads or the moment when everything seems to be rushing by so damn fast. That moment your heart quickens and your palms get all sweaty. That moment you start to have a panic attack. Panic attacks are just one symptom of anxiety. Anxiety is a monster who shows up uninvited and decides you are their new best friend. A monster that makes you feel crazy and scared but convinces you that they are all you have. A crippling feeling of fear and panic that hits out of nowhere. When you all of a sudden can't move, can't think, and your breath leaves you like an autumn leaf falling from a forgotten tree. How? How do we develop this feeling of hopelessness and fear? How does our mind turn on us and eventually leaves us hanging?
By Katelynn Marie 8 years ago in Psyche
Coping With Anxiety
It's funny. At this very moment, I'm listening to the Dear Evan Hansen soundtrack, in which Evan has mild anxiety. My anxiety only really started in middle school. Why? Because I had this so-called friend who tried to turn all my friends against me. Seriously, I'm not kidding. They'd say lies about me and people would come back to me and say, "I can't believe you said that about me" or "You're an awful person." I cried a lot because they were taking their disliking of me out of proportion. LOL...says the person who has anxiety. I would ask to go to the bathroom and then cry. I was pretty good at hiding the fact that I would have panic attacks and cry because of them, up until one day. They had this girl go and send hate to me for no absolutely reason. I broke down crying and went to my teacher about it. The person behind all the problems I was having got nothing said to them. So much for a "no tolerance" bullying policy, right? I forgave them after all they did to me and they just kept hurting me and hurting me. I've finally pushed them out of my life because I couldn't handle all they've been doing to me. I kept messaging my mom asking her to pick me up from school one day because I couldn't handle it. My mom didn't pick me up, but I can understand why. It was only second block. I needed to suck it up. It took a lot of attempting to calm myself down in the bathroom for me to finally go back to class. For the rest of the day, I was stuttering and trying to avoid eye contact.
By V. Gray8 years ago in Psyche
Anxiety and Society
Nothing is as simple as "just do it" when it comes to people with anxiety. Many people have different levels and different "genres" of anxieties. Whether it is social anxiety or personal anxiety or severe anxieties surrounding something in particular, all of them count and all should be addressed in the way that works best for you!
By Shaylynn Heidemann @paulo_deam8 years ago in Psyche
I Used to Think I Sounded Stupid When Talking About My Mental Illness
I woke up this morning still in recovery from a recent anxiety attack. The attack happened at work in front of my colleagues, and to me, I made a fool of myself in front of everyone not knowing what was racing through my head at the time. I had the Angel in one ear pleading that I can do this, I can push myself to recover. However, I had the Devil in the other ear laughing at me because he knew this would be the end of me. All my thoughts and feelings were temporarily removed from my body and were left stranded in the air until I managed to pull through the terrible time I was facing.
By Lewis Jefferies8 years ago in Psyche
Social Anxiety or Introverted?
In a society that's all about being fun and spontaneous, it can be difficult having social anxiety or just being an introvert. These are two terms that are often mixed up together. The question is are they the same thing or are they similar but on different spectrums. I took the liberty to do a little research on the topic and to finally answer my own question. Social anxiety or Introvert? Is there a difference, and can you be an introvert with social anxiety?
By Katelynn Marie 8 years ago in Psyche
My First Dinah Shore Weekend
This year I attended my first Dinah Shore weekend. There were thousands of lesbians in attendance and several social gatherings provided ample opportunities to meet and mingle with new faces. But for someone with severe social anxiety, this also provided ample opportunities to feel stressed out and overwhelmed. Slowly but surely I made my way through the weekend, and multiple throngs of crowded venues, and managed to have a good time.
By Alicia Lynn8 years ago in Psyche
The Overwhelming Feeling of S.A.D
Stress, anxiety and depression can be draining. So much so, that you can’t get out of bed, you can’t seem to be able to make yourself get up and eat, or to get yourself to stop eating, or to even communicate to anyone. Stuff around your room piles up because you don’t have the energy to pick anything up. It seems like you’re alone in a fight that no one else can see, they can’t see what you’re fighting against, can’t see what is swallowing you whole into an abyss of nothing. Your body shaking, the fear of anything going wrong, anything being out of align of the routine, anyone getting upset or angry or disappointed at you or what you have done. This beats you down, over and over and over again, and it is everything you can do to just stay afloat and breathe. You’re so exhausted because you face the same fight everyday, using more and more effort to push it back after each day, so much you wear yourself thin, and the fight gets harder. You become overwhelmed. You start questioning. Is this worth it? Is this all there is? When will it get better? Does anyone even care? Do they not see this? Is this all in my head? What’s wrong with me? What have I done wrong? These questions starts softly, yet the longer this spiral of dark lasts it gets louder, and louder. It eventually gets so loud that you snap. You yell at someone, you break something, you hurt yourself, you hurt someone else.
By Hali8 years ago in Psyche
Safe in Your Own Skin
A panic attack can happen anywhere, at any time. It does not discriminate. You don't have to be diagnosed with a mental health problem. You don't have to be a female. You don't have to be a male. You can be an adult, a teenager, or even a child. You can be any ethnicity. Panic happens, and it will come on unexpectedly. It can be triggered by a major event or the tiniest thing. The good news is, you won't die. I'm not going to lie. You will feel like you are dying.
By Lillian Golze8 years ago in Psyche
Anxious? Always
Do you have more than one day a week that you'd rather avoid people or going out entirely? Do you freak yourself out over what MIGHT happen if you go to a party and only one person you know will be there? Do you feel dread even before going somewhere you know you'll have fun? These thoughts and feelings are an all too common truth to people with anxiety, especially social anxiety.
By Kira Lydia G.8 years ago in Psyche
Mental Health
So mental health has always been a very hushed topic in our society until very recently, which I personally think is a good thing. Mental health issues are anything from anxiety to depression to even schizophrenia. There is a wide range of mental health issues that people also have either never heard of or never speak about. However, that doesn’t mean that they are not just as or more important than anything like depression.
By Holly Russell8 years ago in Psyche
Anxiety and Relationships
We’ve all been there. A perfectly good relationship, and for a while, your anxiety disappears like it never existed in the first place, but like a cloud, it comes and goes as it pleases.
By Chrissi T8 years ago in Psyche
Anxiety
It can be difficult with anxiety sometimes. I've had it since I was 14 and it has to be the worse thing ever. I developed anxiety when I had a problem with a guy that made it all start. Now I have to avoid a lot of stuff like horrors, going to new places, or even meeting up with new friends, or even old friends on a one to one basis. This can be difficult sometimes, but I'm on tablets every day that don't always work depending on the situation. I know if I have an anxiety attack. I've learned the best way is to get angry over something; just try and get adrenaline going, and it really does help—or cuddle someone you love and breathe. Depending on the situation, I have had times where I can't touch anyone or hug anyone, I have to just lie down and focus on breathing. It can be a struggle getting up, eating, taking my tablets, then kicking in an hour later after I'm already on the bus and on the way to work. It's life, I guess.
By Rianne Collins8 years ago in Psyche