Hi. My name is Caity and I struggle with Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Here are the behaviors I have noticed that stem from my illness:

• 1)I am a people-pleaser

I strive for perfection, especially in my work environment. I am terrified of anyone negatively criticizing or judging me.

• 2)I have very low self-worth

This low self-worth has persisted since childhood. After many incidences of being ignored or ridiculed by my peers, I developed negative assumptions about myself that haunt me to this day.

• 3)I have obsessive, negative thoughts.

This kind of goes with number 2. My ability to talk back to the voices in my head hasn't developed yet, so I am sometimes knocked down by the force of these thoughts.

• 4)I am terrified of making new friends and trying new things

I constantly enter a "What if" game in my head and talk myself out of situations where I would truly be happy.

• 5)I have racing thoughts

Goes back to number 3. Imagine all these negative thoughts as a repetitive loop of the worst song you have ever heard, and it NEVER STOPS.

• 6)I self-harm

Because of all my obsessive and racing thoughts, nervousness in social situations, restlessness, and low self-worth, I have so much energy that needs to be released. Sometimes I do that in unhealthy ways.

• 7)I am irritable and tend to isolate myself

I hate to be interrupted when I am "in my head". Even though I know my family and family just wants to talk to me.

• 8)I live in a fantasy world

As a kid, I developed these "alternate lives", which usually resembled my favorite TV show at the time, to ease my feelings of loneliness and self-loathing. It has become a habit that is hard to break.

• 9)I dissociate

I zone out a lot, especially in situations that make me uncomfortable. This makes it hard to be present and live in the moment.

• 10) I make negative assumptions about people

I think that everyone dislikes me and that I am as unloved and unvalued by everyone in my life as I am to myself.