"Just calm down!" "you'll be fine!" are the two lines I have received over and over from those who are lucky enough to tackle on today's world without the impending doom feeling lingering in the back of your mind when you're in the middle of the grocery store, hanging out with friends or simply relaxing at home.
According to Medical News Today, anxiety is the excessive nervousness, fear, apprehension and worry. Over 40 million people experience anxiety everyday, so this strikes the question: What is the cause of anxiety? the normal things that may strike a person to start stressing and induce anxiety on themselves is from the environment around them, such as the work place, school, a social setting, etc. But anxiety can also be genetic tying in family and how it can be passed down through generations. Other causes of anxiety include some medical explanations such as withdrawals from medications, or the stress from a extensive surgery recovery. When I first started getting the symptoms of anxiety, my dad recommended all in one supplements because some anxiety is tied to the lack of vitamins in the body. In my case, the supplements helped only for a short time and I had to deal with the fact that this was more than likely genetic due to the underlying fact that my mother, siblings, and family members before me all were known for having anxiety.
The number one thing that irritates me from those who never truly experienced anxiety are the ones who only get it during a test, or before something major like excitement jitters, etc. That is not true anxiety, that is temporary anxiousness caused by the fact that you mentally know something you are not used to or don't do everyday is coming up and your nervous — everyone who is a human being experiences this feeling...but it is not anxiety disorder.
-Feeling on-edge
-Impending Doom thoughts
-Increased Irritability
-Insomnia
-Chest Pains
-Jitters
These are just a few symptoms of anxiety. For half a year I dealt with the shakes almost like you experience when you have the flu, impending doom, anxiousness in my chest and severe panic attacks that would occur and wake me out of a dead sleep. With anxiety, comes depression and when my anxiety first started effecting me, the depression rolled in even worse. It was like a feeling of a cloud over my head, I did not want to get out of bed, not one thing caught my interest, when I hung out with my boyfriend or family and friends, I had no emotion and on the inside I wanted to break down crying because I had the thought that this feeling would never go away and it was something I was just going to have to deal with. It was not until I continued to wake up with panic attacks, pacing around my apartment feeling like I'm going crazy that I decided to see a doctor. Yes! seeing a doctor for your mental health is 100% the move these days people! your mental illness is not YOU and you are not you when it is in full swing. I told my doctor my symptoms and obviously he knew it was anxiety and I was prescribed a generic antidepressant known as Lexapro. The side effects for two weeks were a little scary but knowing my body needed to get used to the medication was what continued to keep me motivated to feel better.
So as I sit here and write this reflecting on my journey with anxiety and depression, I'm here to explain to you that when someone tells you to "calm down" when you're feeling batshit...start a routine with yourself that will help you when you're out in the world facing those who don't have or understand anxiety. Whether it be staying home on a night you are on edge but your friends want to go out, staying in bed an extra 10 minutes in the morning because you're already so anxious it's making you sick to face the day. Self care is the best way to go to tackle anxiety when no one else can help you, but you. Seeing a therapist, talking to a friend or family member, writing in a journal or the Odyssey Online! Now that I know the symptoms of anxiety and depression, I have a better way of trying to flat out ignore it and train my brain that this disorder is not going to take over my day. My advice to those who have loved ones around you who deal with mental illness and you don't, be patient with them, let them talk to you. Nothing feels worse than being shrugged off or misunderstood when your thoughts are going at 100 MPH in a normal environment and the person in front of you wants to act like your mental illness does not matter.
Of course, If you deal with mental health issues and medicine, therapy or whatever you do to cope does not seem to help, remember to reach out to friends and family or pick up hobbies you enjoy. The best way for me to get over a spell of anxiety is to distract myself from it like working out, reading, watching my favorite show or taking a drive.
You being here today is what matters most! If you or a loved one is suffering from mental health issues always remember the Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-8255.
