Nearly every time I scroll through a social media platform, I come across posts portraying anxiety as "quirky", "edgy" or "cute." Tumblr and Instagram are overflowing with profiles flaunting artsy, dramatic pictures with depressive lyrics that nearly praise anxiety disorders. This idolization is a problem. Anxiety and depression are not quirky. It’s not edgy, and it's certainly not cute.
It's something I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy.
It seems as though, in today's society and culture, these issues are either neglected and treated as though they do not exist, or they are romanticized. Put on a pedestal for people to gawk at in awe—wow, look at the latest trend! It's become glorified. One simple search of "anxiety" on a popular social media site can bring up a plethora of posts that say things like “I’m the type of girl who could have tears streaming down her face, and still insist that everything is fine," as the caption to a faded photograph. This does nothing but blur the line between a bad, emotional day and a serious issue like GAD.
So please, stop romanticizing mental disorders.
Because I'm here to tell you that there is nothing trendy or cool about being diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. It's not just a tragically beautiful fate of life that needs to be plastered all over the internet with dramatic quotes and darkened photos. It's not just an emotion or feeling nervous. It's not just teenage angst, heavy eyeliner with dyed hair or something you just need to be saved from. To 18 percent of the U.S. population, it is a harsh reality.
To them, it's what keeps them up at night. It's what they fight on a daily basis to just get out of bed and keep going. It's what causes them to lose relationships because they second guess everything. It's what causes them to fail a test because they spent half of the period unable to breathe in the bathroom. That's what it was for me.
Last semester I wrote an article titled Learning To Love Your Anxiety, because I do think it's important to see the positives in everything—even an anxiety disorder. However, that is so very different from romanticizing the issue. Anxiety is not something that I need taken away by my Prince Charming. I don't expect some dark and handsome figure to fall in love with my anxiety and take it away from me forever.
You see, mental illness is not something that has the capacity to be the latest trend—you can't wrap it up and put a bow on top.
It's something to fight.
It's something that is going to try to hold you back. It's going to tell you that you're not good enough. It's going to lie to you every day and do its best to make you lose sight of all the important things.
But you don't have to let it. If you struggle with anxiety, let me remind you that you are stronger than it. You are the only one who can take control of it and get better. And I promise you that you can. It's not impossible.
But how are people supposed to realize the truth of this matter if the media is constantly glorifying anxiety? So stop romanticizing a serious issue in today's society, and instead see the reality of it -- we can only overcome it by accepting the reality first.
