Everyone gets stressed and everyone gets anxious. That's a plain and simple fact that no person can deny. But having an anxiety disorder? That's an entirely different story.
Now I, just as all of you, have my stressful moments. I'm a college student who is made to deal with a bombardment of stressors that are delivered directly to my physical, mental and emotional doorstep every day.
However, I began to think to myself, "How does my situation differ from an individual who has actually been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder? I might pity myself at times, but I in no way have any idea as to how it feels to literally have anxiety."
I sat down with two close friends who personally deal with anxiety disorders, and they gave me a glimpse into their worlds -- just for a moment, of course, in hopes that I could somehow more fully understand their internal brawl with anxiety.
I've changed their names for the purpose of this article to protect their anonymity as this subject is quite personal for most individuals who directly deal with it.
"I always worry about something," said *Sarah. "If it's not school work, it's my social life. If it's not that, it's something else. I've had terrible worries about my parents dying in a car crash or something just because I don't have anything to worry about."
Both friends said that they have methods of dealing with their anxiety. But, what draws the line between actually dealing with an issue and simply finding ways to distract yourself?
"I sleep a lot, said *Jenny. "But sometimes sleeping just makes things worse. I'll wake up and feel even more anxious because I'll feel guilty for putting things off, like school work. So sometimes you'll do things that you think would help, but it just gets worse."
Other coping methods such as distraction and taking personal time for oneself were among the other techniques utilized.
"Honestly taking care of yourself -- sleeping, not eating too much sh*t, and knowing when you need a break and when to work... I think my anxiety is worse at home because I have nothing to distract me," said *Sarah. "I try to keep busy so I don't have time to worry."
Although, anxiety does not have only downfalls. Both individuals said that their anxiety has made them more understanding and empathetic towards individuals who feel anxious.
"Being anxious is something all people deal with," said *Jenny. "But having anxiety is ongoing and a forever feeling. It's something everyone can relate to, though, and it makes me more understanding when someone tells me they're having anxiety."
Though, when looking at it from the opposite perspective, can those who don't deal directly with the disorder relate to those who do? One interviewee said no.
"I get angry when people say they have anxiety and understand what I'm going through when they're not diagnosed because they just don't... no matter how much they think they understand, they don't know what it's like", said *Sarah.
Just sitting down with these two close friends for the short period of time to interview them gave me a little more insight into their introspective struggles. So next time you make a friend or if you currently have a friend who deals with anxiety, take a little more time to really understand.
As individuals who don't deal with anxiety, it's so easy for us to say, "Why do you care about something so trivial?" or "Stop worrying," but it's not that simple and it never will be. Issues such as this go unnoticed and misunderstood way too often.
