So over the past couple weeks I've had this terrible feeling of never wanting to leave my house, never wanting to leave my bed actually. I've been sleeping until 1pm everyday and barely doing anything. Getting in my car, going to work and sometimes just any human interaction has made me feel so terrible that all I want to do is cry. But also my lack of human interaction and motivation makes me feel worse.

I can't sit still, but I feel paralyzed.

Waking up and staring at my bedroom door for hours has become part of my daily routine. I've started to realize that I don't have the healthiest ways of dealing with anxiety. Trying to distract myself has only made it worse and now I can't even focus on anything for a long amount of time.

This by itself has taken three days for me to write because I can't look at my screen for longer than five minutes. But I know I need to talk about it because shutting myself in, ignoring people trying to deal with it-- clearly doesn't work.

There are little things I've noticed that do help me feel better. This is gonna sound a bit bougee, but meditating is actually great. Just taking 5 minutes out of my day when I wake up to sit there and breathe, I have seen a difference in how I've been feeling. It might be small, but it's better than nothing. Another huge help is finding a simple activity that you can turn your mind off and do. Mine is swimming, or just being near water in general. Whether it's with my friends or alone, I feel completely relaxed when I'm in the pool or by the lake.

There are also plenty of things that don't help at all.

Like I mentioned before, this is something I tried to deal with on my own. Do not isolate yourself. It only makes things exponentially worse to the point of having a panic attack because you heard a tapping noise. True story.

Also, I have some naturally unhealthy habits like sleeping in way too late and drinking about three cups of coffee every morning. Little changes like setting an alarm for at least 10:30 and maybe having a cup of tea instead can help me stay calm throughout the day.

In all honesty, don't be afraid to ask for help. This is something I'm still trying to get over, and be able to be vulnerable with people, accept and be grateful for their advice.

We all feel a little bad sometimes.