He asked me, "what does anxiety feel like?"

Funny question.

How does one explain the feeling of their sanity being stripped away as they descend into chaos created by the hands of... their very own brain.

You know when you fall and cut your knee? You get back up and say, "that really hurt." I mean, that's a pretty mundane way to describe pain. Everyone knows how it feels to stub their toe or break a nail, that's an easy kind of pain. Those are simple, every day pains that we know how to describe. Anxiety is on a whole other level.

The scary part about anxiety is that it's really all in your head, it's the fear of things beyond your control. Things that haven't even happened yet and may never even happen. Like getting struck by lighting; you can lay in fear all you want but that doesn't mean you will be struck in your lifetime.

And so how does it feel to be so afraid of something that hasn't even happened yet?

It is maddening.

Anxiety is to feel your heart pounding, except you can feel it in every inch of your body. The world blurs around you, like you are the only thing existing next to your deepest fear. You would rather face the Grim Reaper himself then face this serotonin induced state of mind.

It's not even always a real fear. Sometimes it's simply the fear of the unknown. And have you ever feared something you didn't even know existed? It's like being in a horror movie and you know something is behind the door, but you don't actually know what it is. You just know that you wired to be afraid of this mass.

You have all these visions dancing around in your head. , and all these things are bouncing around at the same time; and you're still expected to walk through every day life. As if nothing was even bothering you.

Now wake up at 4 a.m. because your heart was racing, feel your skin crawl like the nerves are newborn spiders. Do it, every day. Every night you know it's coming. Leave the light on so you don't feel alone. But close all the windows so no one can see you. Stare at the ceiling and count the minutes until Xanax kicks in.

Watch your entire life fade in and out as it slips through the bars of your mental prison.

It's not just a feeling; it's not just something you describe to someone in a sentence. You don't just put into words the feeling of a pain that no one else can see but you can feel it. A type of pain that takes place in your mind, your very own thoughts. The thing that gives you sanity.

Anxiety takes your life away. It makes you obsess over the drop of a pin. Then it smiles as you scramble to pick up the damage left behind.