I think I have always lived with anxiety. Even as a child I was never one to climb on things and jump around for fear of getting hurt. My mom had to sing me to sleep until I was 10 because I had a crazy fear of being kidnapped in my sleep. But it wasn't until I was around 14 and competitive cheer-leading and the thought of high school came to show how bad my anxiety was. I had experienced a few panic attacks at cheer but when I had a full-on anxiety attack over a pair of shoes the night before my first day of high school, my family and I knew that this was a little more than normal stress.

With the approval of my doctor, I went to see a psychiatrist. After talking it through, the psychiatrist and I worked out a plan to control my anxiety, but this part has very little to do with my story. Anxiety controlled many parts of my life. It controlled almost all of my cheer-leading career (to this day), as well as controlled my social interactions. However, when I say that it controlled my social interactions, I don't mean that it stopped me, it just made me much more nervous. Anxiety put me in a constant state of pain from headaches to stomach aches and even heartaches.

As I continued life with anxiety, I came to get used to it and learned how to handle it. I have now come to understand the way my body and brain act so that I know within a two-day span if I am going to have an anxiety attack. I also know things that trigger my anxiety attacks and I can avoid them or rationalize them to myself. Don't get me wrong, I still have to call my dad every time I have an attack because Lord knows he is the only one who can calm me down.

So here is how I have let anxiety empower me through the years. People have the misconception that someone with anxiety is weak or that because they themselves have anxiety, are not mentally strong. However, I believe this could not be any farther from the truth. I think people who struggle with anxiety are some of the strongest people in the world. Think about it! They are fighting a battle that no one can see inside their head every day. That is one way that my anxiety empowers me, I tell myself every day that I am winning an uphill battle just by doing small things. Anxiety makes me stronger every day!

Not to mention, the fact that so many people share a common struggle with me is constant empowerment. I have never one to shy away from talking about my anxiety, I tell anyone and everyone. I do this for two reasons: if they struggle as well but don't want to talk about it, maybe they can find solace in my story, and if they do share their struggle with me, I know I am not alone. Having the knowledge that you are not alone can sometimes mean everything.

So yes, anxiety has controlled my life, and in a way, it probably always will. But now, I have gained this strength I never knew I had! I feel like I can accomplish anything! And in addition, I can bond with others. So, I hope and pray that everyone else can find this light in anxiety and let it fuel them instead of drag them down!