There are so many different stories out there about how people think anxiety affects lives.
People with anxiety are overreacting to stress. It’s just that person not being able to handle reality. They brought it on themselves. Medicine isn’t going to help.
These are all misconceptions about the reality of anxiety— it’s not something you ask for, and it’s not something you can just wish away. It’s something that people deal with every day. And I’m here to help people understand that.
I was around a freshman in high school when I started recognizing my anxiety. It had always been there, but it wasn’t until high school that it really surfaced. I was under a lot of stress. People say high school is easy, that freshman year is easy, but that’s not true, at least it wasn’t for me. Every day was a struggle. I couldn’t sleep at night because I would lay in bed, my mind racing about everything. I would worry about the fact that I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life. I would stress about every single school assignment, fearing that one mistake would rip everything away from me. It was crippling. I felt trapped with nowhere to go. That’s when I realized it was time for some medicine.
I went to my mom and we talked to the doctor. I started on medicine not long after. That’s when it all turned around. The sleepless nights ended; I could fall asleep anywhere (not in an unhealthy way). The rest of high school was pretty good. Sure I still stressed sometimes, but don’t we all? I thought I was doing pretty well. Everything felt normal and balanced. When I wasn’t on my medicine, something felt off. But when I was on it, everything was right.
Making the decision to ask my mom about medicine was the best decision I ever made. No, it wasn’t easy. Yes, it takes courage and life still isn’t perfect. I came to college and had to be in counseling because I was really struggling with homesickness. I switched medicine because I was always tired. I still can’t always sleep, but I’m better. And progress is what’s important. So, for anyone fighting anxiety, I understand you. Don’t let anyone ever make you feel like a bad person for struggling. You’re not.