6 Things Only People with Anxiety will Understand

Living with anxiety can be debilitating and the stigma of mental illness can make talking about it difficult. Honestly, people that don’t suffer from it cannot fully comprehend how it affects people. Here are 6 things that people suffering from anxiety live with daily.

1. Anxiety has physical effects

Although it’s a mental health disorder, anxiety doesn’t only affect your mind. It had physical manifestations that can be severe and debilitating. For example, someone that suffers from anxiety may deal with uncontrollable panic attacks, headaches, vertigo, and an irregular heartbeat. Sometimes people can feel these effect coming on, but other times they are unexpected.

2. Irrational fear is still real

A lot of the time people with anxiety worry about something entirely irrational. Even if there is technically “no need” to be anxious about a specific thing, that doesn’t mean the fear has any less substance. It is just as real as any other fear. People who don’t live with anxiety can’t explain away a crippling panic attack. Anything can trigger symptoms of anxiety including ever day habits.

3. Panic attacks are overwhelming

While we are on the subject, panic attacks feel different than anything else in theworld. Everyone has different experiences with episodes, but there are consistent symptoms that each individual is usually familiar with. Sometimes out of nowhere, it can start with a wave of dread and fear. Then there is an overwhelming sense that all isnot well; it is almost a sense of impending doom. Breathing is difficult, people feel hot, the heart rate quickens, and escape is the only option. Sometimes it physically hurts, and people feel they have lost all control. And this is just scratches the surface of what living with anxiety is truly like.

4. “Get over it” isn’t an option

No, you can’t just “get over it”. This is by far the most frustrating thing anyone with anxiety can hear. Mental illness is not something you can wish away. A challenging part of anxiety is the stigma surrounding it. People refuse to acknowledge it as the legitimate illness it is.

5. Not everyone gets treatment

Considering the fact that anxiety is the most common mental illness in America, the number of people with anxiety that get regular treatment is shockingly low. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, one third of people get the treatment they need. That means that the other two thirds live alone in the shadow of this illness. Mental illness is a real illness. If you suspect you are suffering, seek medical help. .

6. Management is possible

But it won’t make anxiety go away. Everyone has different needs when it comes to anxiety, so a specialized care plan is necessary. No one should live with the weight of anxiety on their shoulders.