Anxiety, a disorder that fills a person with emotions such as worry, nervousness, and uneasiness. When you have anxiety, the world around you is different when in comparison to the world that surrounds others. The world we all live in is not a world that we would wish on anyone else.

A world of fear, of anxiety or panic attacks, the world that is left open for us to enter, but our minds, this disorder, are what holds us back. Those fears that seem utterly ridiculous to those around us, yet so real to those who hold them.

Andrea Schreckengast says:

"Things that trigger my anxiety are 18-wheelers passing by while I am in a car or when I think of something happening to my husband or our son. Seeing them in pain or being told that I am being hyper cause my anxiety. There are also times when I feel like there are a million things to do and not enough time to do them or when I think of my past emotional abuse or being kidnapped for a ransom over a dog. All of those things, and more cause my anxiety."

It is sad to say that most men and women who do not live in the world of anxiety often do not understand what it truly means to be riddled with such an illness. We cannot help it and we cannot control it, but to them, that is because we do not want to. I have been told that I can help my anxiety disorder, but that I just do not want to. Yes, because I want to rely on medications for the rest of my life. Thank you.

Anxiety comes in all shapes and sizes. Generalized Anxiety Disorder is chronic, exaggerated worry about everyday routine life events and activities, lasting at least six months; almost always anticipating the worst even though there is little reason to expect it. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is the repeated, intrusive and unwanted thoughts or rituals such as organizing and cleaning until everything is finished, whether you are exhausted or not. Panic Disorder is characterized by panic attacks, sudden feelings of terror that strike repeatedly and without warning. Physical symptoms include, but are not limited to, chest pain, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, dizziness, and feelings of unreality (MHA, 2017).

Phobia is the extreme, disabling and irrational fear of something that really poses little or no actual danger; the fear leads to avoidance of objects or situations and can cause people to limit their lives. PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder)is persistent symptoms that occur after experiencing a traumatic event such as war, rape, child abuse, or being taken, hostage. Nightmares, flashbacks, numbing of emotions, depression, and feeling angry, irritable, distracted and being easily startled are common. Social Anxiety Disorder is the fear of social situations in which the person is exposed to unfamiliar people or to possible scrutiny by others (MHA, 2017).

Margaret Cremer says “I have agoraphobia so leaving my house gives me anxiety. For a while, I would get a panic attack just going out on my front porch. It's under control now, however, I still have anxiety when I go to restaurants or where there is a large group of people, clubs or bars."
Tracie Hicks says "Anything can trigger the generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) including; seeing an image on a Facebook page or Twitter, hearing information from the radio, conversation at the water cooler, news or a show on television, or even being in certain situations such as deciding on something or leading others."

These triggers can be obvious or not so obvious such has internal 'What if…' questions like: 'What if I left the stove on?' 'What if I forgot to feed the cats before I left for work?' 'What if the cats do not have enough water until I get home?'"

In a way, I and so many others can relate to this. My husband often gets upset with me when I cannot go into a store alone or struggle with making phone calls. Just thinking of those things makes my chest tingle, maybe a tightening feeling, and I become overwhelmed with such an uneasy feeling that I just cannot do it. I start to sweat and lose my composure. I have yet to find a way to cope with this illness besides medication, but I hope to find one someday.

Andrea Schreckengast says “To help myself cope while under anxiety, I talk to my husband, Johnny or play with our son, Johnathon. I also enjoy playing music, writing, reading and even cleaning.”

Kyle VanValkenburgh says “For coping methods, I use a countdown of my senses. I focus on five things that I can see, four things that I can hear, three things that I can smell, two things that I can touch, and one thing that I can taste. You can vary the countdown so that you can use whichever of the senses in whatever place. That version is just what works best for me. Another coping method that I have is having something in my hands or on my wrist that I can sort of play with. I use clay or play dough when I’m home and use a hair tie when I’m at work or in social situations. My personal triggers are spontaneous or last minute deadlines, social situations, illnesses in friends/family members and any sort of "official" business like talking with a boss or professor. There are also times when no trigger happens. The anxiety just takes hold.”

To tell someone that they can control their anxiety, but they just do not want to is absurd. That is like telling someone who has cancer that they can control it, they just do not want to. Anxiety is not like someone’s nicotine addiction, they cannot just quit it cold turkey or over time.

Work Cited

MHA (Mental Health America). (2017). Anxiety Disorders. Accessed from http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/conditions/anxiety-disorders.

I also want to provide special thanks to those who stepped forward and provided some of their own personal information.

• Andrea Schreckengast
• Kyle VanValkenburgh
• Margaret Cremer
• Tracie Hicks