Hello, Internet. Stellar here.
Did you know that there are roughly 3 million cases of anxiety disorder in the US per year?
According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, anxiety is defined as “apprehensive uneasiness or nervousness usually over an impending or anticipated ill.”
Some people are ailed with its more severe forms, which include: generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder and social anxiety disorder. However, there may be more than that. I’m only going off of what I’ve been told and my own experiences.
I’ve dealt with mild anxiety for a long time (ever since becoming a high school freshman), but as of recently, it has intensified.
The first time I had a panic attack, I was on my way to my next class at the university I attend. Many factors played into why the attack occurred (for example, I had a test in the class I was going to), but all I knew at the moment was that I was dying. I needed to escape.
I needed to flee from whatever threat was causing my fading vision, shallow breathing, rapid heartbeat, and utter panic.
Not long after that, I had my second panic attack in a crowded hallway. I felt like everyone was staring at me. I felt myself shrinking, while the people around me grew, turning into impenetrable walls. I was trapped in my own mind.
Panic was my life at this point.
At first, I didn’t know what was going on. I’d heard of panic attacks before, but had no idea if that’s what was happening to me. But, I knew that I needed to find out whether I was panicking or dying.
So, of course, I looked it up. As you do.
Turns out, my sneaking suspicion was right.
After months of not going, I finally went back to my counselor and told her what was happening. The rest is history.
Anxiety isn’t a joke. It isn’t something made up. It’s serious and it’s real. I know that better than ever.
So, Internet, if you’re dealing with anxiety and you haven’t ever seen anyone about it, I offer two possible solutions. First: go to a counselor. A counselor can lead you down the path to recovery. Two: reach out to find a support system. For me, that’s my friend group irl and the online mental health community, 18percent.
If you have people that rely on you and you rely on them, it makes recovering so much easier. Or, at least, it has helped me.
And, on that note, Internet, I must say adieu. Thanks for visiting.
Sincerely yours,
Stellar Cascade
This blog post is from my blog website, stellarcascadeblogs.com.
If you want to look at it where it’s originally from, you can go to the title, which is a link to this blog post.
