I Am More Than My Anxiety | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Health and Wellness

I Am More Than My Anxiety

I have anxiety, I am not anxiety.

15
I Am More Than My Anxiety
Destiny Keyes

Some of my most vivid memories of a being a child are of Christmas Eve, typical family traditions: eating snacks for hours, red wrapping paper everywhere, the smell of cookies and candles, family, love: everything the holidays are about. We could have been recorded for a Christmas commercial. But the night always ended in me being sick in the bathroom long into the early hours of the morning. One of the most happy, exciting nights for children; stolen from me by my anxiety.

Isn’t that the hardest thing about facing anxiety? It’s a thief. It steals hope, it steals ambition; it shoves you into a whirlwind of fear. They say that learning our triggers helps us to cope, to avoid those situations and to deal. But I don’t want to run. I don’t want to buckle in fear. There is nothing wrong with standing in a room of people, there is nothing wrong with ordering my own meal. So why is it then that I repeat multiple times in my mind what I’m going to say, rearranging the words frantically, analyzing how it must sound from across the room: over and over before I even mummer anything? Because if we allow it, anxiety can steal our voice too.

When I was 17, I faced my first trigger. I began working in a grocery store, I placed myself in the center of a situation surrounded by people, commotion, constant stimulation. The first few weeks were agony. My mom would drive me to work and I was ill with anxiety. I would cry the whole way. It took me a month before I could look anyone in the eye. I worked there for four years; and of course there were days I was shaking in the bathroom on my breaks. Or there were shifts someone wouldn't speak to me in just the right way to make me crack. Sometimes I would sneak off to buy a huge bag of peanut M&M's. I would eat myself sick, I wanted to have a "logical" excuse, something someone could understand... I was sick. Self-inflicted, but I was sick. I overcame.

I didn't start driving until I was 19; that was and still is a huge trigger of mine. Thankfully, my mother allowed me to take it at the pace I felt most comfortable with. It was weeks and weekends spent on back roads, spinning the tires, slamming on the breaks too hard, one telephone pole accident, and a lot of tears. I became embarrassed constantly when people would ask why I didn't drive; I never felt like the truth was an acceptable answer. I felt afraid, afraid of the car, of the other drivers, my mind would play the endless amounts of terrible possibilities in an instant. I overcame.

It wasn't much long after that that I started to admit what I was feeling, when I was feeling it. I stopped hiding behind the excuse that I "didn't feel well" or that "my head hurt" as to why I couldn't accomplish something right there. I was tired of hearing voices echo in the back of my mind, "You NEVER feel well." I started telling the truth: I was anxious. And that within itself was a liberating feeling.

Not everyone in the world is receptive to the fact that anxiety is an illness. I've ended friendships, relationships, and conversations with strangers over my anxious mind. There are people out there who will just never understand that anxiety can leave you crippled on the bathroom floor at 2 AM. It can hit you in the middle of your work day, it can force you to close yourself off from the people in your life that mean the most.

It can leave you mentally and physically exhausted. Anxiety can have your mind running relentlessly in the deep dark hours of the night and when you've finally exhausted the realm of horrifying possibilities, you awake with a tight hole in your chest feeling like a part of you is out there wandering around searching for answers to problems that don't exist. The rest of the day is a zombie-like haze of shaking hands, pacing steps and choking back fire-hot tears. Never for a moment can you shake the overwhelming sense of doom upon you. The lists stack up internally of all the things you need to accomplish, "Here and now" whispers, anxiety.

Anxiety will rule your world. It will direct every moment of your life if you allow it. There are days when I can't get out of bed. The whole world feels like it's out to get me, the weight is just too heavy. But there're the better moments of rationalizing and of conscious thinking in the tense seconds before a first date, an interview, doing anything out of the norm: reminding myself "this isn't anxiety, you're allowed to feel nervous. THIS IS NORMAL. Anxiety has stolen too many precious moments from me to sit back and play it safe any longer.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Featured

15 Mind-Bending Riddles

Hopefully they will make you laugh.

178623
 Ilistrated image of the planet and images of questions
StableDiffusion

I've been super busy lately with school work, studying, etc. Besides the fact that I do nothing but AP chemistry and AP economics, I constantly think of stupid questions that are almost impossible to answer. So, maybe you could answer them for me, and if not then we can both wonder what the answers to these 15 questions could be.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

Most Epic Aurora Borealis Photos: October 2024

As if May wasn't enough, a truly spectacular Northern Lights show lit up the sky on Oct. 10, 2024

5817
stunning aurora borealis display over a forest of trees and lake
StableDiffusion

From sea to shining sea, the United States was uniquely positioned for an incredible Aurora Borealis display on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, going into Friday, Oct. 11.

It was the second time this year after an historic geomagnetic storm in May 2024. Those Northern Lights were visible in Europe and North America, just like this latest rendition.

Keep Reading...Show less
 silhouette of a woman on the beach at sunrise
StableDiffusion

Content warning: This article contains descriptions of suicide/suicidal thoughts.

When you are feeling down, please know that there are many reasons to keep living.

Keep Reading...Show less
Relationships

Power of Love Letters

I don't think I say it enough...

451539
Illistrated image of a letter with 2 red hearts
StableDiffusion

To My Loving Boyfriend,

  • Thank you for all that you do for me
  • Thank you for working through disagreements with me
  • Thank you for always supporting me
  • I appreciate you more than words can express
  • You have helped me grow and become a better person
  • I can't wait to see where life takes us next
  • I promise to cherish every moment with you
  • Thank you for being my best friend and confidante
  • I love you and everything you do

To start off, here's something I don't say nearly enough: thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart. You do so much for me that I can't even put into words how much I appreciate everything you do - and have done - for me over the course of our relationship so far. While every couple has their fair share of tiffs and disagreements, thank you for getting through all of them with me and making us a better couple at the other end. With any argument, we don't just throw in the towel and say we're done, but we work towards a solution that puts us in a greater place each day. Thank you for always working with me and never giving up on us.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

11 Signs You Grew Up In Hauppauge, NY

Because no one ever really leaves.

22760
Map of Hauppauge, New York
Google

Ah, yes, good old Hauppauge. We are that town in the dead center of Long Island that barely anyone knows how to pronounce unless they're from the town itself or live in a nearby area. Hauppauge is home to people of all kinds. We always have new families joining the community but honestly, the majority of the town is filled with people who never leave (high school alumni) and elders who have raised their kids here. Around the town, there are some just some landmarks and places that only the people of Hauppauge will ever understand the importance or even the annoyance of.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments