I sat in my religion class desk, right in the front row. The room was silent, everyone working on the daily high school busywork we were assigned. The only sounds in the room were pencil on paper and the faint, muted sound of someone playing really loud music through their AirPods.

Pencil in hand, I tried to focus on the questions in front of me. But my brain couldn't seem to process the words. The sounds of pencils writing and erasing and writing and erasing grew louder and louder. The classroom felt smaller all of a sudden, the air felt thick and hot and suffocating. I looked around the classroom to see if anyone else was noticing how the room suddenly felt like the walls were closing in. But I was just met with bored glances. I suddenly realized I was holding my breath, so I let out a shaky exhale before tapping my friend on the shoulder.

Hoping that she would notice something was wrong, I asked her in the quietest whisper, "Hey, will you come to the bathroom with me?" She looked at her paper and apologized, saying she really just wanted to finish her work first. I nodded. Just breathe. You're just in class. What's wrong with you?

Fidgeting in my desk, I felt claustrophobic. I tried just focusing on my work, but my hands were clammy and shook so hard I could barely hold my pencil, let alone write anything. I tried focusing on my breath but that just made me acutely aware of my racing heartbeat. Everyone looked up from their papers to watch me. I could feel their eyes burning holes into my skin. I couldn't take it anymore. Ignoring my teacher's protests, I quickly walked out of the room and raced to the bathroom, locking myself in a stall.

I had suffered an anxiety attack. Feeling restless and tense, having an increased heart rate, hyperventilation, sweating, shaking, and trouble concentrating are all signs of an anxiety attack. There are different kinds of anxiety disorders: generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, or social anxiety disorder. Anxiety and panic attacks are both common symptoms of anxiety disorders, and they affect about 6 million adults in the United States alone. Other symptoms of anxiety include:

• Sleep disturbances (e.g., insomnia, excessive drowsiness).
• Constant worry.
• A fear of impending doom.
• Fearing another anxiety attack (after one occurs).
• Muscular tension.
• Avoiding places where you may have had an anxiety attack in the past.
• Feeling anxious around others.
• Avoiding social situations.
• Difficulty making friends.

I have had anxiety almost my entire life, although I was just officially diagnosed the beginning of this year. I have never known a life without anxiety. Constantly overthinking everything in my life, always being stressed out over trivial things, and insomnia have all been side effects of this mental illness that have plagued my life for as long as I can remember.

There is a lot of stigma and stereotypes surrounding anxiety disorders. This creates a certain shame that people with anxiety have to deal with. If you have anxiety, you're often seen as flaky, or dramatic, or overly sensitive. People might think you are This only creates more anxiety for many people that deal with these issues. Diminishing the feelings of someone with anxiety is not only ignorant, but it can stop someone from reaching our for help.

A common misconception of anxiety disorders is that anxiety is the same as being nervous. This just simply is not true. Nervousness is short lived. It is usually caused by stressful events or by dangerous or frightening circumstances. Nervousness is an emotion, a response to a situation. Anxiety is different. Anxiety is a psychiatric disorder that is caused by genetics and brain chemistry. Anxiety can also be caused by trauma in one's past. It is not a fleeting feeling like nervousness, it is a perpetual disorder that many struggle with.

Reducing anxiety to 'it's just nervousness' discredits many of the struggles that people with anxiety face. Anxiety can make day to day life difficult. I had a panic attack just by sitting in a quiet classroom. I don't know what triggered my attack, but it cause me to hyperventilate, sweat, shake, panic, have a racing heartbeat, and become convinced that everyone was staring at me. In reality, when I came back to class after calming down in the bathroom, hardly anyone had noticed I'd left. My anxiety had convinced my brain that everyone was staring at me and laughing about me in quiet whispers. In reality, they were just there, doing their homework.

For many people, anxiety makes simple tasks feel impossible. Going into a grocery store, ordering at a drive thru, even sleeping become difficult tasks. Anxiety can be social as well, making it harder to talk to people, make new friends, and be open with others. This can make a person with anxiety feel isolated and alone, creating an evil cycle that just perpetuates someone's anxiety.

Anxiety can trick the brain into believing so many things. It can make you feel crazy or stupid or like a bad friend. It makes you feel overwhelmed at the worst moments, and anticipating the next attack in the best moments. You feel constantly on edge. Or like there is constant a weight on your shoulders. Or like you're just waiting for yourself to screw up next. Anxiety can make someone more prone to depression, making a person have to deal with twice as much stigma. It makes you your own worst enemy. Your own worst critic.

This World Mental Health day it is important to acknowledge the existence and validity of mental illnesses. By educating ourselves on mental illnesses, we can work towards a more understanding world and help those who are suffering quietly get the help that they need. But we have to take the steps in acknowledging that mental illness are real and not just someone being 'overly sensitive' or 'dramatic. Anxiety is not just nervousness. Depression is not just sadness. ADHD is not laziness. They are mental illnesses and they should not be invalidated by the stereotypes against them.

If you or someone you know struggle with anxiety, know that this disorder does not make you less of a person. Please consider talking to a therapist and finding ways you can deal with your anxiety in a healthy way. But here are three tips that can help you reduce your anxiety if you feel an attack coming on.

The 3-3-3 rule: Name three things you can see. Then name three things you can hear. Now move three parts of your body - your arm, fingers, or toes. This can help you ground yourself and help stop your thoughts from racing at a million miles a second.

Acknowledge what is happening: When you are going through a anxiety or panic attack, you can feel overwhelmed by a sense of fear or hopelessness. It can feel like a heart attack. If you catch yourself doing this, take a breath and tell yourself, "You are having a panic attack. This is temporary. I will be okay soon and there is nothing I need to do". Pair this with deep breathing and it may help you calm down faster.

Practice breathing: Hyperventilation is a common symptoms of anxiety and panic attacks and one I have dealt with multiple times and it is not fun. Anxiety can cause you to hold your breath without realizing, or make it nearly impossible to breathe at all. The gif attached to this article is one I have used countless times to gain control of my breathing.

Here are some hotlines to call if you are struggling with anxiety, depression, or other mental illnesses:

Suicide Hotline: 800-273-8255

Panic Attack Information Hotline: 1-800-64-PANIC (72642)

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Hotline: 1-800-662-HELP (4357)

Teen Hotline: 1-310-855-HOPE (4673) or 1-800-TLC-TEEN (1-800-852-8336)