Most people struggle waking up in the morning, hitting the snooze button at least once before getting out of bed for the morning. The struggle to get out of bed is even harder for those who are suffering from anxiety, knowing that they do not know what will be in store for that day. They may look at themselves in the mirror while getting ready and wonder if today will be another day where everything goes from great to suddenly unbearable. Many people who have anxiety or depression wake up in the morning feeling great, but that can change suddenly and often without much warning anytime during the day.
Waking up with anxiety means that you have to prepare for the unknown, not knowing when or what will change your mood and cause it to have a panic attack. The not knowing can be the hardest part of struggling with anxiety. This with the today's stigma that any mental issue should be hidden or ignored can make the days seem long and unbearable. That is why it is important to understand that one: people with anxiety or depression have nothing to hide or ignore. Having anxiety does not mean you are less of a person or damage, you are not alone there are people just like you, many probably around you.
I have suffered from anxiety for a long time but like many people have ignored it for most my life. The fear of admitting I had a problem and the fear that people will think less of me for it has prevented me from seeking help for a long time. Year after year I would tell myself I would start going to someone and talk through my feelings and year after year I would chicken out and say nothing. The more I ignored it, the more it would poke its scary head in my life. At the end of sophomore year of college, it became clear to me that I had to find a solution. This and the push from some of my closest friends made me decide to finally ask for help and start talking to a therapist.
This is a great first step for those who are struggling like I have been, but it is not always the fix that you hope it will be. While talking definitely helped me better understand what I am feeling, it was not enough and I had to keep looking for a better solution. Medication is something that should never be taken lightly but should not be crossed out because you are afraid to be labeled as someone who needs to take medication for mental illness. That is why after a discussion with my friends, family and therapist I decided to look at meds as an option.
This option is not a quick fix either, it takes time and controlled experimentation to find the right option for you. I started taking Zoloft, hoping it would be the blessing I was looking for. It was not!!! Instead of making me feel less anxious, it made me feel super sick for weeks. These were some of the hardest weeks of my life, where I was not only trying to control my emotions but also felt like I was gonna throw up every day for over two weeks.
I could have given up and said this is my life now and I will just have to deal with it but that is no way to live. So, I talk to my doctor and am trying a new medication now. While it has yet to take effect in my mental state, it has stopped making me feel sick. So what am I trying to say here is that while it may seem like there is not a solution to what you are going through, DO NOT GIVE UP. You are not alone and things will get better, maybe not today or tomorrow but they will.
The struggle of anxiety is not just something that affects those who have it but also the friends of those who have it. The friend may not know how to deal with seeing their friend struggle and may not know how to handle it when they see their friend struggling. These are some suggestions for the friend of someone with anxiety (from my personal experience):
1. Take care of yourself, do not let their anxiety become your anxiety
2. Be honest with your friend, if you can be there for them great if you can not tell
them this!!
3. Do not leave them alone when they are panicking. No matter what they
say, they do not want to be alone and being alone will only make it worse.
4. Listen and be understanding. Many times people just want to know people
care and will listen.
5. Tell them how much they mean to you, sometimes something small like that
can make a major difference to someone in need.
6. Be yourself. Do not act differently around them.
Anxieties effects can reach past those who have it and affect those around that person so be aware of that but do not let stop looking for help. My friends and family are the reason that has been able to take these steps to work on my anxiety. I would not be where I am now without their constant support, especially my amazing best friends who have been there for every freakout, phone call and crying sessions.
And no matter what remember, YES you have anxiety but NO you are NOT “crazy”!!!
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