Anxiety is…


Danielle Sherman-Lazar

Anxiety is… feeling like something terrible is about to happen, and feeling it in your bones. It’s feeling like someone is going to break into your home the second you don’t have it locked up and armed. In your mind, you might as well be giving an open invitation to every burglar in the neighborhood.

Anxiety is…being nervous every day when you drop your child off at preschool that the next phone call you get is because she fell and got hurt or some kid THAT YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE WORDS WITH (in your head…) hurt her.  It’s having your phone on you every second while your child is not with you. It’s not wanting to ever leave your children because you won’t be able to protect them from afar.

Anxiety is… sweating profusely as someone watches you do a hard maneuver in your car. You’re nervous to the point of disassociation– you feel disconnected from your own body like you’re floating above. Then bam, and DARN, not again. Because having someone watch you do anything, makes you feel like you’re butt naked and they’re gawking at you. It’s THAT uncomfortable!

Anxiety is… having a hard time sleeping at night because you’re worried that the comment you made offended him or that she doesn’t like you because she ignored you. Anxiety is always second, third, and fourth guessing yourself. Anxiety is overthinking “the everything,” and always preparing for the “just in case” moments.

Anxiety is… fear. An irrational fear that’s silent to an outsider, but its powerful high-pitched vibrato is screaming loudly throughout your insides. You’re afraid of an unknown threat, but to you, it seems very real.

Anxiety is… not something to “just get over.”

Anxiety is… dark and Incredibly overwhelming.

Anxiety doesn’t make you “crazy.”

It’s something you must live with like you learn to live with stormy weather.

Take shelter, take deep breaths, and let it pass.

This story originally appeared on Living A FULL Life

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