I can remember numerous times sitting with my friends, and they would ask me, "what are you thinking about"? Being zoned out, I would snap back into reality with a quick, "what?" They could tell I had something on my mind and would follow up with something along the lines of, "Do you ever stop thinking?" — As if I could just shut my brain off.

Anxiety for me is being completely happy, and then all of a sudden remembering something I did or said four years earlier to someone I no longer am even friends with, and my mood would change. At any given point, I would have flashbacks of scenarios and memories that are not even relevant anymore, yet they would haunt me and cause me to overthink the present and future.

"Your life is simply like a roller coaster ride. One moment it's happy and fun, and then in a second whip around the corner, it's instantly scary and overwhelming. It's a 24/7 ride; the mind is always going, preparing for the worst, over analyzing things to the point where you learn to expect the worst." — The Mighty

To the people who ask me if I can just turn it off and make it stop, I can't. I can't just tell my brain to quit working in overdrive even when it causes me to stay awake all night.

"Anxiety is like having new tabs opening very quickly [on your computer] one after another and not being able to close them or stop new ones from opening — but in your head. It happens while working, taking care of kids, driving, answering questions, and a million other things that people do in a day." — The Mighty

There is not always a trigger that I know will cause these "anxiety attacks" or moments of overthinking. It can happen at any time, with anyone, at any place. I think it's important to understand that your friends and family can't always control the way they think and feel and that showing you care and being patient is better than asking them to "turn it off."