Anxiety is something I have suffered with since freshman year of high school. It’s something that I’m always reluctant to share in fear that it may affect people’s perceptions of me. However, with prominent athletes speaking out about their mental health in recent news, I’ve felt empowered to speak about my struggles as well. Anxiety affects me on a daily basis, especially with the transition of returning back to school. Living on my own, taking a heavy course load, an ongoing pandemic and just the stress of life in general has made my anxiety even higher. However, anxiety isn’t something that I should be afraid to talk about. Instead, I should be using the platform I have to speak about my own experience and help people learn about anxiety themselves. So, this is the first step in doing that with this article. Here are five misconceptions about anxiety that need to be debunked.
- Anxiety is all in your head
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Opening up about your anxiety is a very nerve-wracking concept. Being open and honest about the things you are struggling with can be very intimidating, trust me I know. One of the most disheartening things to hear when allowing someone in about your anxiety is their idea that it’s all in your head. Many people have this perception about anxiety that it’s all made up by the person. Personally, anxiety affects me in many ways, especially when it’s physical and not mental. Anxiety has many physical side effects to it – nausea, vomiting and headaches to name a few. Earlier in the semester I was dealing with anxiety-related nausea. Every morning I would wake up and find myself hunched over the toilet dry-heaving. Anxiety isn’t something that people have made up their minds about. Instead, it’s something that I and many others deal with mentally, physically and emotionally on a daily basis.
- Anxiety is one-Size Fits all
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Many people suffer with all different kinds of anxiety. There is GAD – Generalized Anxiety Disorder, OCD – Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, social anxiety and much more. Many people when they hear the term anxiety, group all anxiety together. However, that’s simply not the case. While many people suffer with anxiety, they all have their own anxiety that they are dealing with. Some people may suffer from severe social anxiety, fearing the idea of being in a public setting and believing that all eyes are on them. Others may have GAD, where they are in a constant state of panic and are feeling anxious all the time. We need to stop allowing anxiety to be this broad category, and instead learn that like other mental illnesses, anxiety has its own subdivisions as well. Anxiety isn’t a one-size fits all disorder. Instead, anxiety differs between the people it’s affecting. They may have different types of anxiety, different symptoms and even have different coping techniques. Those suffering from anxiety have their own struggles and should never be compared to someone else. Nor should their anxieties be compared either.
- Anxiety is just fear
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Many people believe that the terms anxiety and fear are interchangeable. However, they are on completely different spectrums. Yes, anxiety creates a feeling of constant fear that can sometimes last minutes, hours, days and even weeks. It isn’t, however, just this feeling of fear. My anxiety is much more than fear. I have anxiety surrounding my schoolwork, my relationships and just my day-to-day life. Anxiety needs to be known to be more than fear. Anxiety for me is living in a constant state of worry. Worrying that I said the wrong thing in class, worrying that my friends will not like me anymore and even worrying about the smallest things like how people will perceive my outfit. Yes, anxiety does cause a lot of fear, however, it’s not the only thing that anxiety should be known as.
- Anxiety will go away if you “just calm down”
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One of the worst things that you can say to someone who suffers from anxiety are the phrases “just relax” or “you need to calm down.” Many people don’t realize the state of panic that anxiety creates for those who suffer from it. Anxiety can come out of nowhere. It can occur when you’re walking to class, when you’re getting ready to go out, or even when you go to sleep. Not only does it come out of nowhere, but anxiety also creates high levels of stress, panic, and anxiousness. Whenever someone tells me to “calm down” or “relax”, all I can think of is “yeah, I wish I could.” I wish I could ease my mind from all the anxious thoughts that cloud it. I wish I could convince myself that nothing is wrong, and everything will be okay. However, anxiety stops that process from even beginning. It’s hard to ease your mind when you have anxiety, especially if you suffer from anxiety attacks and/or panic attacks as well. Telling someone who is suffering from anxiety to “calm down” will never help them, so please don’t say it at all.
- Anxiety needs to be understood by everybody
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One of the main things that I learned regarding my anxiety is that not everybody will understand it. I’ve been fortunate enough to have family members and friends who are able to understand some parts of my anxiety. However, many of my family members and friends will never truly understand my anxiety. Not everybody needs to understand my anxiety and it’s innerworkings, however they should respect my feelings and my mental health. Anxiety is a daily battle for me, and it means so much when a family member or friend can respect my boundaries and understand that my anxiety is affecting me. Not everyone needs to understand my anxiety, but they should be willing to understand and learn how it’s affecting me.
Unfortunately, mental health is not talked about enough in our society. Hopefully, my article can help teach you and others about anxiety. Remember, if you or someone you know is going through mental health issues whether it be anxiety, depression, or anything else; don’t hesitate to reach out for help. If you’re a Pitt student, here is a link to the university’s counseling center. If you take one thing away from this article, let it be that you should know and remember that it’s okay to not be okay.