At one point in our lives, we have all heard someone say they are anxious. Anxious about a speech they have to give in front of their peers, a game they have to play in front of a spirited crowd, or a performance they have to give in front of spectators and critics. Most people understand what it's like to feel anxious, but not what it's like to have anxiety.
Feeling anxious and living with anxiety, two phrases that are not synonymous with each other despite what people think. However, I think it's time that people become educated.
Feeling anxious is oftentimes good. Anxiety motivates you to ace that test, win that game, or perform that show. This is good anxiety. The kind of anxiety that pops up when you are excited about something that is important to you.
However, since I was five years old I've struggled with chronic anxiety. Not the kind of anxiety you get when you're excited, but the kind that prohibits you from completing normal tasks, hanging out with your friends, or even laying in bed without a million different thoughts popping into your head.
Since I was five, I've had to deal with these feelings of uneasiness and unfamiliarity with my own self at times. At times I felt so disconnected from the real world that thought I may never make it back.
Anxiety used to prohibit me from being me. I let my anxiety take control and steer my life into whatever path it chose.
But now, I'm in control.
It took 13 years to understand that anxiety is a part of me, not who I am. My anxiety does not define me, or limit me from living my life. I've learned that instead of hiding from my anxiety, I should embrace it.