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Health and Wellness

To Those Who Don't Understand Anxiety

Unless you have anxiety yourself, you don't have the slightest clue what being anxious is really like.

Crystal Goudreau

Jan 08, 2017

Community College of Rhode Island

2945

StockSnap

To those who don't understand anxiety,

Anxiety sucks. Unless you suffer from an anxiety disorder yourself, you don't have the slightest clue about anxiety and how it affects those diagnosed. Anxiety is like a little monster in your head that keeps telling you that everything is wrong. It keeps feeding you bad and negative thoughts until you are consumed by them.

One of the worst parts about anxiety is that we know that the anxieties and fears we are feeling and thinking are totally and utterly irrational. We know the little monster feeding us negative thoughts is wrong, but we can not control the monster. Knowing the thoughts we are thinking are totally irrational and crazy makes everything one hundred times worse.

When people tell us to stop being anxious, it makes us even more anxious. Don't people realize that if anxiety sufferers had the opportunity to just stop being anxious we would in a heart beat? Don't they realize that by telling us that we are crazy that they are just feeding into the monster inside our head?

Some think that people who are diagnosed with anxiety don't actually have anxiety and are just drama queens/kings looking for attention. The only way the people who think we are doing this for attention would learn first hand that we are NOT attention seekers would be to have them experience some of our anxious thoughts or a panic attack. Even if someone doesn't believe that my anxiety is REAL, I would not wish my anxiety or a panic attack upon them.

If there are two things to take away from this article, let it be this:

Do not tell an anxious person that their anxious thoughts are crazy. Chances are, they already know that and were looking for someone to disprove the monster feeding the anxious thoughts to them.

And

Do not tell an anxious person to stop being anxious. By saying this, you will increase their anxiety and make them feel even worse about themselves. Instead, offer an ear. Let them know that the thoughts they are thinking are not true. Let them express their anxieties to you without you judging them.

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

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To Those Who Don't Understand Anxiety

Unless you have anxiety yourself, you don't have the slightest clue what being anxious is really like.

Subscribe to our Newsletter

No one best represents the struggle like our favorite 90s squad.

1. When course schedules are released and you have a conflict between two required classes.

2. When there is only one section of a popular course.

3. Receiving the 18,000 emails reminding you to register ASAP.

4. When you need to see an advisor, but they are too busy/unresponsive.

5. Trying not to dress like a bum for your appointments with your advisors/department heads.

6. When you have a perfectly planned out schedule, and one class ruins it.

7. Carefully moving things around to accommodate a different class/section.

8. Waking up at 6:00 a.m. for your enrollment time.

9. Concocting a new schedule at your enrollment time after your original plan gets changed.

10. Getting into a class and filling the last available seat.

11. When all of your classes finally go through.

12. Realizing that you forgot a class that was a pre-requisite for everything else.

When your capability of "adulting" is put to the test

Nobody deserves to be living in poverty.

"Nobody living in one of the most influential nations in the world should be worried about making ends meet."

What is the current minimum wage at the federal level?

What are the benefits of raising the minimum wage?

What are the states that have set a $15/hour minimum wage?

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Because who understands your bitterness better than April?

1. When you have to provide an "interesting fact" for your first day ice-breaker.

2. When your professor is babbling on and on in his lecture.

3. When you edit your friend's paper and they get an A.

4. When it's 2 AM and you remember you have a test tomorrow.

5. When you finish taking the test and you're pretty sure you failed...

6. ...but then you get the test back and somehow passed.

7. When you've been up for 12 hours straight writing a paper.

8. And then you manage to stay awake in class the next day.

9. When you have to butter up your professor for an extra credit opportunity.

10. When you're assigned a group project.

11. And your group-mates are trying to chat about life instead of the assignment.

12. When it's your last class of the day and you're about to go home.

13. But then you remember rent is due tonight and the anger comes back.

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