Anxiety is one of the most common mental illnesses in modern society. While it may feel like you are alone when having an anxiety attack, take comfort in the fact that you are not.
Most of the time anxiety presents itself in different ways. The first thing that must be done is recognizing when you are anxious. Yes, sometimes there is a very obvious reason but more often than not, there isn’t. The important thing is accepting the fact that you feel the way you feel and acknowledging that this is ok.
A lot of the time high functioning anxiety is when you overschedule and overwork yourself- as a coping mechanism to prevent yourself from overthinking, you occupy your thoughts with other things. On the other end of the spectrum is lack of sleep and insomnia, avoidance, and irritability. Try to determine which you believe you have as it will bring you closer to coming to terms with your anxiety.
Each person experiences anxiety differently and whether you’re the one having an anxiety attack or the friend helping someone get through one, realize that while one coping mechanism, such as patterned breathing, may work for one person, it may not work for another. It may sound dumb but one of the best things to do when having an anxiety attack is to apply pressure; this can be done by getting a friend to hug you or simply by throwing some blankets over yourself. The pressure will calm your nervous system and begin to regulate it a little more.
In order to start loving, or at least coming to terms with having anxiety, it’s important to accept that you have it. Anxiety is a part of you. It may be difficult to fall in love with this part of yourself but it’s something that makes you who you are. It’s that time of year where you need to remember to take care of yourself. With the stress of midterms constantly looming over your head it’s ok to take a break – you’re worth it and you deserve it.
The book to read is “First, we make the beast beautiful” written by Sarah Wilson. It explores her personal experiences and journey while also making it relatable for others and is an excellent read. In the wise words of Newt Scammander, “worrying means you suffer twice”. While you likely can’t stop it, use it as a reminder to yourself that it just means you care.
Your fellow Harry Potter fan,
Karah Folk