The term “anxiety” is probably one of the most over-used words. I see it on social media and I hear it in casual conversation. Sometimes, I may even be guilty of using the term in my conversation, not even letting it fulfill its true definition.

Having anxiety is sleepless nights. Waking up, shaking, crying, making yourself sick to your stomach. In school, you're not concentrating. Having anxiety is constantly worrying about things that you know you shouldn’t be worrying about-- but you’re doing it anyways. Having anxiety means you’re that person with the constant, personal raincloud hovering over you--following you wherever you go. Having anxiety means that you have good days and bad days--on a bad day, you may not even be able to complete a simple task such as run an errand; you can’t be social. You can’t think straight. You can’t function properly. You. Just. Can’t.

According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, anxiety affects 18 percent of the United States population, which is approximately 40 million Americans, 7 million suffering from General Anxiety Disorder, 15 million from Social Anxiety Disorder, 14.8 million suffering from major depressive disorder and 7.7 million affected by post-traumatic stress disorder.

I’ve been one of the luckier ones, being able to have a great support system and able to control my anxiety through natural remedies and tips and tricks I’ve learned from others. However, someone once told me that they were surprised that this was something I struggled with-- which made me want to raise awareness about something:

No mental illness has a “look.”

No one needs to look like they have depression. No one needs to look like they’re having anxiety. Apart from anxiety disorders as well, no one needs to look like they struggle with any other mental illness either. (Well, not in all cases.) I could be silently sitting in a chair, or in my car in the middle of a traffic jam--seemingly normal, but rather feeling like my throat is closing up, struggling with the fact that I’m trapped between all these cars, plus I’m thinking about the 10 million things I need to get done once I get out of there.

Yes, it is okay to get anxious in normal situations. It’s okay to go through periods of sadness after suffering a tragedy. These emotions are completely normal. However, I think a few of us just get a little mixed up with the actual meaning of these words, and that’s okay. But they have a bit more powerful meaning than what some may lead on, and saying you have “anxiety” entails a whole lot more than just that moment.

I think it’s important for all of us to remember that you don’t have to “look” a certain way to be going through something. We all have our struggles, and when we put on a happy face, blending in our natural orderly routine of everyday life, it makes it pretty easy to make everyone else believe everything is okay. However, we all know that for all people, mental illness or not, this isn't always true.