Stress is everywhere – Getting rid of stress in your life is not easy, and it’s not quick. However, it’s not impossible, either. Identifying stress can also be quite difficult as it has become normal to feel stressed with the pressures of modern life. Stress pops up all the time, even in day to day situations. It isn’t just present in the classic circumstances – it’s always present. It is worse for different people in different situations and some deal with it better than others, however, I’m not one of those people.
I am not alone – when my anxiety was beginning to escalate, I felt like I was in my own little bubble; not allowing anyone in and without an escape. I didn’t really know anyone else that had the same problems as I did so I just saw myself as ‘weird’. It wasn’t until I went to the internet that I found my problems were very common. 1 in 4 people suffer with a mental health problem which reassured me I wasn’t alone. When I discovered websites like Anxiety United where others shared their experiences, I felt understood. There are so many other people out there like you that you can connect with, you just need to find them first!
I’m stronger than I thought – I never thought of myself as a particularly strong person because I’ve never suffered any difficult times or overcome anything significant. Hence, when my anxiety got bad, I thought I could never overcome it. I spiralled down becoming increasingly physically and mentally drained every day. This is still going on and I know nowhere near recovery but I know I’m strong. Most people would not be able to deal with what I have to deal with every day: constant feelings of anxiety about everyday things and multiple panic attacks. Although it breaks me sometimes, I can still get back up and fight my way through another day, which is something many people would not be able to do. I’m proud of myself and I hope my strength will aid recovery.
Life will always have ups and downs – I’m not saying that anxiety is just a ‘down’ in life but anxiety does carry ups and downs through every day. Sometimes I will have days where anxiety is so high that I cannot even leave the house but then I have other days when I find things I would usually struggle with are achievable. Things change every day and no two days will be the same which is especially prominent when suffering with anxiety. Sometimes I find myself dwelling on the down days instead of focusing on all the positive things I have achieved on good days.
Anxiety does not define me – this probably sounds like I strange thing to have learnt while suffering with anxiety but you often hear people referred to as ‘the one with anxiety’ or ‘the one with cancer’. This made me think that my whole being was anxiety and I’d lost myself to it. However, anxiety is only part of me, admittedly, quite a big part at the moment but I’m not defined by it!
Change takes time – this works both ways: getting worse and getting better. Anxiety took a long time to really take hold of me but once it did, it spiralled quickly. This is why I sometimes see anxiety as being something that was very quick, but it actually has probably been building for most of my life. I am nowhere near back to my former self and I can’t see myself there at all but I know I will get there. It will take time, effort and support but I will get there. When I am there, I won’t care about how long it has taken because it is all I want right now.
I am not alone – when my anxiety was beginning to escalate, I felt like I was in my own little bubble; not allowing anyone in and without an escape. I didn’t really know anyone else that had the same problems as I did so I just saw myself as ‘weird’. It wasn’t until I went to the internet that I found my problems were very common. 1 in 4 people suffer with a mental health problem which reassured me I wasn’t alone. When I discovered websites like Anxiety United where others shared their experiences, I felt understood. There are so many other people out there like you that you can connect with, you just need to find them first!
I’m stronger than I thought – I never thought of myself as a particularly strong person because I’ve never suffered any difficult times or overcome anything significant. Hence, when my anxiety got bad, I thought I could never overcome it. I spiralled down becoming increasingly physically and mentally drained every day. This is still going on and I know nowhere near recovery but I know I’m strong. Most people would not be able to deal with what I have to deal with every day: constant feelings of anxiety about everyday things and multiple panic attacks. Although it breaks me sometimes, I can still get back up and fight my way through another day, which is something many people would not be able to do. I’m proud of myself and I hope my strength will aid recovery.
Life will always have ups and downs – I’m not saying that anxiety is just a ‘down’ in life but anxiety does carry ups and downs through every day. Sometimes I will have days where anxiety is so high that I cannot even leave the house but then I have other days when I find things I would usually struggle with are achievable. Things change every day and no two days will be the same which is especially prominent when suffering with anxiety. Sometimes I find myself dwelling on the down days instead of focusing on all the positive things I have achieved on good days.
Anxiety does not define me – this probably sounds like I strange thing to have learnt while suffering with anxiety but you often hear people referred to as ‘the one with anxiety’ or ‘the one with cancer’. This made me think that my whole being was anxiety and I’d lost myself to it. However, anxiety is only part of me, admittedly, quite a big part at the moment but I’m not defined by it!
Change takes time – this works both ways: getting worse and getting better. Anxiety took a long time to really take hold of me but once it did, it spiralled quickly. This is why I sometimes see anxiety as being something that was very quick, but it actually has probably been building for most of my life. I am nowhere near back to my former self and I can’t see myself there at all but I know I will get there. It will take time, effort and support but I will get there. When I am there, I won’t care about how long it has taken because it is all I want right now.