Generalized Anxiety Disorder is defined as a psychological disorder characterized by excessive or disproportionate anxiety about several aspects of life, such as work, social relationships, or financial matters. It affects about 1 in 8 teenagers, and about 6.8 million adults. Statistically speaking you will encounter someone with GAD in some point in your lifetime. Speaking from experience, I feel like sharing 5 pictures that illustrate how living with GAD is.
1. We get anxious about being anxious.
2. IT'S NOT JUST MENTAL!!
Don't be rude and say that all our pain is just "in our head"; anxiety can manifest into nausea, muscle aches, fever, insomnia, and becoming lightheaded.
3. "Am I anxious or am I sick?"
I can not explain to you how many times I have sat with my head between my hands repeating this question.
4. "Hey uhm... I can't go out tonight, something came up."
If you suffer from GAD, you have probably spent hours trying to find an excuse not to go out or spent hours in front of a mirror repeating this phrase so it sounds legit.
5. Worst-case scenarios are on replay in our heads.
No, we are not over-exaggerating, we just think the worst of everything. We constantly worry that the most bizarre scenarios clouding our minds will come true to hurt us or our loved ones.
