Eleven things people with Anxiety would like their family and friends to understand.
Can you relate?
Disclaimer
Anxiety is different for everyone
So these statements might not apply
to everyone
This does not make the experiences
mentioned
which we gathered from people
who have experienced Anxiety
any less valid
One
Please stop telling me to
just NOT worry about it
That's EXACTLY my illness.
I'm bad at "just not worrying about it"
If I could, I would have done that
a long time ago
Two
I'm trying really hard
to not dismiss my efforts
It's exhausting to feel frightened,
and worried,
and scared most of the time.
The fear is pushing out the real me at times and I really hate it
I'm trying so hard, so don't tell me I'm not
Because you probably don't fully understand what it's like
Three: Do not take it personally if I'm frightened
When you have anxiety and you're feeling particularly bad, it's often anyone's fault in particular
The same situation sometimes does trigger the anxiety, and sometimes it doesn't
You might have triggered it, but I'm not usually blaming you for it
I'm sorry if I repeat myself quite often
It just means that that's the thing worrying me the most at the moment
I know I repeat myself, but it sort of helps saying these things out loud
As anxiety can lock me in my own thoughts with worry
Bringing it out bit by bit sometimes lightens the fear ever so slightly
I'm so sorry if I annoy you, but if you want to help me, I just need someone to listen at those moments
Five: my coping methods will be different in different situations
The thing that helps the first time might not do anything useful the next time
Again, we would really appreciate patience
Six: consent still matters as always
No still means no even when I'm experiencing severe panic and/or anxiety
Don't force things on me
Seven: it's more than just stressing over a test
I wish that people understood that anxiety isn't just stressing out over a test
And it isn't being nervous about giving a presentation
It's something that takes over my life
I have really bad anxiety about dying
For example, whenever I think about future plans like "On Saturday, I'm going grocery shopping"
I force myself to think, "Well, unless I die", because if I don't worry about dying, I will die
I know it's total bullshit and I sound ridiculous, but my brain tells me otherwise
Eight: people often invalidate us
I think the biggest thing for me is that whenever I vent to someone about it
They always, in attempting to help me get over it, tell me that I shouldn't be anxious
But that's what makes me feel invalidated
Nine: it can also affect other emotions than just fear
I wish people understood how every emotion is felt 10x stronger no matter how little the situation is
At least for me, it is when my anxiety is peaking
Ten: I generally cannot ignore it, and if I could, I wouldn't have clinical anxiety.
I wish that more people would understand that most of the time, it's not something you can just ignore or get over
It's really crippling, and it's a daily challenge
I wish people knew that I can't knock on doors or talk on the phone
Not because I'm a millenial, but because I have an actual problem
Eleven: I'm not being dramatic or doing it for attention
I'm not being overly dramatic, and sometimes normal tasks and situations can be too stressful for me
Also the phrase "everyone has some anxiety" invalidates me, and I wish people would stop using it
Have you experienced it? What do you wish people would understand? Let us know in the comments below!
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Thanks for watching!
Captions done by The Magical Bean