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No Bright Side with Anxiety?

Dealing with Mental Health

By Danny FlowPublished 6 years ago 6 min read
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What is anxiety? Anxiety is a feeling. A feeling that can drive a person mad. A thought that can convince someone it's true and a thought that will rest in the back of your head and come out when you're not ready. It's also deep in your gut that can make you feel nauseous and even physically sick. You'll feel terrified and your brain will be completely overwhelmed. You can feel your stomach churn and your brain pulse, it can feel like it's being crushed. Anxiety will make you over think every little detail and situation. Anxiety is a thought, mutated in your brain, and it'll convince you something is wrong. Something terrible can happen or even will happen. That maybe you caused this problem or mistake, and you'll wonder but how can you fix it. And you can. By seeking help. Bluntly. That's the truth. I hadn't, and there's been many times in my life I needed help, but didn't. Anxiety isn't just fear. It's so much more than a feeling. When it's happening, everything feels very real. Your fear will be the truth. And your thoughts will rule you.

I live with anxiety every day. And it's a constant pain and worry that drives me to the core. A constant fear and nervousness. It can rule your mind and consume you. Anxiety is a mental disorder where a person feels an overwhelming fear or nervousness. It can make you feel physically sick. Have you ever had a serious conversation with someone... Let's say you and your partner are having it out and before they say the words, "I want to break up," you get a feeling down in the pit of your stomach and say, oh I'm gonna be sick. And you start wishing they would hurry up and just say it already. By that point you're probably wondering how you got here, what you did, how can you fix it. Now imagine feeling that fear every day. And if you constantly feel that way, you're probably are dealing with anxiety. Welcome to the club, guess what, it sucks.

And if none of what I said applies to you, then good news. You're doing better than the rest of us.

I'm going off all I know, and I know that anxiety is no joke. People will throw the world around like it's meaningless. Belittle the disorder and say, well everyone has anxiety, just get over it.

Not everyone lays awake at night and cries themselves to sleep because they keep thinking about this one moment in their life. It'll hurt to even think about it but they can't stop thinking about it. They will overthink the situation on repeat. It's like a song you hate that can't be turned off... The fear and pressure that anxiety comes with is so hard. Not every one gets anxiety over "simple" words or even motions. When I get a random text that says my name and a couple periods I freak out because I know, I know something is gonna happen. I can feel it. And deep inside me I know it's bad. Nobody sends a random texts out of the blue with my name and a couple periods, right? No. I'll fight against myself trying not to overthrow a easy situation and somehow will.

Certain things can even send people flashbacks, and something else that comes along with anxiety is anxiety attacks or panic attacks. Another ball of joy you can imagine. Trying to deal with a panic attack is like trying to breathe underwater. You can't catch your breath, it's a pile of heaping memories and thoughts, fear clouding your brain. It's crying so hard your eyes become swollen and it's the feeling of your heart crushing in someone's fist. It's your head pulsing and the feeling of pressure on you. No matter of words can make you feel safe. No matter of reassurance can provide you with the truth and calmness. In the moment of an anxiety or panic attack, it's all hell set free all at once. And all you can really do is ride it out. Try to calm down, and focus on what is and what matters. I lucky have friends who I can call at four in the morning babbling mixed words and cries too. There are different levels of breakdowns. And I know maybe not everybody has people they can call at four in the morning if they need to.

The best advice I can give you is seeking mental help and finding hobbies or distractions. Daily activities and things you enjoy. When ever I feel so low, I draw sunflowers because they are bright and beautiful and it gives me hope. That even when it seems completely black, there's a light somewhere. And sometimes we just have to flip the switch. I know flipping the switch seems easy, but we have to find it first. Find things that matter and calm us down. Things that make you feel safe and happy. That's the difficult part.

So if you do have anxiety or even think you do, please talk to somebody. A friend. Family member or even seek a mental health professional. Dealing with it on your own can be so hard and sometimes you just need someone there. I myself am working on it and continuing my search to seek better mental health. It's worth it. Having anxiety is hard but going through it alone is worse.

I may not have helped anybody by writing this, but at least you know how it can feel to live with anxiety and how hard it it can be. And if you know a person with anxiety, reassurance is the key. Always, always, reassure them if they ask you something or need to feel okay. It will help them 100 times over.

If you've ever noticed somebody struggling with anxiety and they repeat themselves a lot, don't say "you know" or "you already said that." If they are repeating themselves over a certain topic it's probably important.

And lastly, if you are dating a person with anxiety, always tell them your plans. What you're doing, if you got to work okay, if you're driving home. It'll go a long way, they want to know your safe. Don't forget to reassure them, and if they ask you repeatedly, don't brush it off. Don't think that it's annoying, if it's important to them it should be important to you too.

Alright. Well I hope I shed some light on the subject. It's currently 12:33 a.m so I'm done writing for now but I hope what I wrote sticks with somebody. Anxiety is not easy. But you can live with it. The hard part is trying not to let it control you. You are you, anxiety is just a "bad thought" in your head. Remember it'll be okay, and it really will pass. I always say "take every day a day at a time." It works for me, maybe it'll help somebody else.

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About the Creator

Danny Flow

My names Danny, and I have a lot on my mind. Anxiety works that way. I'll be speaking about the daily activities and struggles that comes with having a mental disorder.

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