We have all read the articles about anxiety. It's 2016, and it is okay to be a walking, breathing, (sometimes pretending to be) functioning ball of anxiety. Those who have not experienced anxiety have probably read about what it is like, lived with someone, or loved someone who does.

Its easy to discover the facts about anxiety, but what about the lies that aren't discoverable? It is this thing that we can not describe. This thing that seems to live inside of us, that sometimes literally takes our breath away, that makes us feel trapped -- and often times is misleading. Do you actually feel certain things, or are you believing your anxiety because that is what you have always done?

You should stay in bed today.

False. Staying in bed for an entire day is not a normal human routine. Yes, we all love a good food and Netflix binge day, but too often, you let yourself believe that you are not good enough to function. Everything will just be terrible, or you tell yourself that you do not feel good. You might have to count to three and jump out of bed and force yourself to go about your day, but you will feel a lot better about yourself than you would if you wallowed in your own pity for ten hours.

Your friends hate you.

This is probably the most hated thought that we, the anxious people, have. They think you are annoying. You are a burden. You are not a good enough friend. They don't want you to be around. Am I right?

This is the hardest one to be confident in, but you can reassure yourself by just spending time with these people. Reciprocate conversation, advice, and all other aspects of friendship. These people would not choose to spend time with you if they did not want you. This is a tough one you might battle with forever, but it is all about training your brain. Spend more time thinking about the positive attributes of your friends and how much you love these people. Let your friends know you need reassurance -- good friends will understand. In time, this thought is more and more vague and irrelevant.

Don't have fun. Something bad will happen.

Your friends will leave you. You will not look good tonight. Your plans are last minute. You will be late; you'll have a panic attack in public. Slow down. What is the worst that could happen if you go out? If you know your limit, and handle what you know you can, that avoids most problems with alcohol. So what if your night turns out to be a dud? Is anything bad going to come of that? On the other hand, in college, you have witnessed and experienced a slew of sh*tshows. Turn on the trap music and get ready with your friends. Tell your anxiety to sit down so you can turn up.

You are having a heart attack.

Anyone who has had a panic attack can tell you that they have believed they were having a heart attack. In fact, we know every symptom and sign of them because a real, physical panic attack pretty much makes you feel like you are dying. You are not having a heart attack. Your brain is convincing you that your heart is going to beat out of your chest, when in reality, your pulse is only slightly elevated. You are sweaty, drowning in fear and your chest pain is out of this world. I bet you feel like you could pass out too. Guess what? Your own thoughts are causing your brain to send out these physical symptoms, just like it would if it was helping you survive -- it isn't going to let you down right now. Start by thinking about what triggered this and find what works best for you.

This current situation is more important than all other things in life.

Your car broke down. You got unregistered from your university. Your account is over drafted and you cannot afford the fee. If this is not fixed right now, something really bad will happen. Your brain is thinking: "I have to get this fixed now -- but I have no solution -- and I have no idea how to fix it -- and now my heart beat is 500 BPM -- and if it doesn't get fixed the outcome will be..."

Your fellow anxious souls understand that you have no control over these thoughts and feelings. You cannot help but be irrational, it is just that your brain works differently. Have any of these situations ever happened that did not resolve themselves with time? Probably not. Did you figure out a solution when you were calm? Probably. It can help to ask yourself, "is this crying/laying in bed/raging behavior going to help?" Compare this situation to other things on the scale of life. Will this matter on your wedding day? Does this compare to people who go without things in life?

Sometimes it feels like anxiety is that annoying little sibling that will never go away, but will always be annoying you, embarrassing you, and betraying you. Just like that little brother, everyone tells you, "You'll feel differently about it one day!" So what if it's always there? So what if you have to fight it all day, every day? There comes a point when you learn to look at your anxiety in the eye and take it for what it is. Instead of just pushing it to the back of your mind to deal with later, you start to realize that you are more than it. The intelligent, accomplished, driven, fun-loving, passionate, loved-by-so-many person you are is so much more than the thoughts that sometimes debilitate you.

A life with anxiety is a power struggle with your own thoughts. Remember the constant power struggle with that same annoying sibling? Even when you won, they always came back to fight and throw things in your face, just like anxiety will. But as you get older, you see the good things in your siblings and learn to love them. Anxiety is no different; as you grow, you see the good things in yourself and learn to embrace this life you were given.