A lot of times you feel very alone, like no one else can understand what you’re going through. No matter how many times you explain, you feel as though no one else gets it. You feel extremely on edge and a million thoughts are racing through your mind, you just can’t relax. The “what-ifs” are absolutely terrifying and you don’t want to embarrass yourself in front of other people. You then start to feel the physiological symptoms coming on, the sweating, heart racing, shaking and stomach churning. You want to hide this from the people around you, you just can’t bear to embarrass yourself.

Above are symptoms of anxiety and panic attacks. Many Americans suffer from some form of anxiety, but when we suffer from it we often feel like we are the only ones that have it. There are critics out there that will say people are just weak and that depression and anxiety aren’t real. I detest this, I feel that mental disorders are being more recognized and understood than they have in the past.

I do think that anxiety is a frame of mind, though. Once you get stuck in a swirl of horrible thoughts, it’s really challenging to get out of that frame of mind. You feel that the worst will happen (there are different versions of “the worst” for everyone) and a panic attack can happen at any time.

You often feel angry that you can’t be “normal.” You feel like you’re disappointing everyone around you, because you feel as though you can’t participate in normal social activities without fear of having a panic attack. People think you’re simply being dramatic, or even think you could be faking it. But all you want to do is be normal, all you want to do is not worry.

Personally, a lot of people have told me to just “not worry.” Like great, thanks, that helps so much. When you tell people to “not worry,” just know that it doesn’t help at all. If anything, it might make it worse. It comes from a good place, but in the end, it really doesn’t help that much.

The ultimate fear is embarrassing yourself in front of other people. You’re so worried that if you have a panic attack, they won’t understand or will think you’re weird. Another fear is that you think you will never get over this. You think that anxiety and panic attacks will haunt you for the rest of your life and will never go away.

Sometimes, it’s hard to think that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. But, there is. This is something you will get through, whether you believe it now or not. I have a really hard time believing it myself. Anxiety and panic attacks are real things, and it’s amazing that it’s finally being acknowledged. You may worry where you will be in five years, if you will get a job, where you will be, etc. You will be somewhere, something will work out.

So, to those living with anxiety that they can’t seem to avoid: you’re not alone. A lot more people experience this than you may think. It’s frustrating, it’s annoying, it’s debilitating, but everyone experiences it at some points in their lives at different extremes. Some people have it for long periods of time and it really becomes an issue. It’s a struggle feeling like you can’t do some things due to anxiety, but sometimes you have to just do it. Finally, think about the worst-case scenario. What’s the worst thing that could happen? You have a panic attack in front of someone. You’re still living and breathing and there is another day. Believe me, I know, it’s so hard to break this frame of mind. Just know my fellow readers, you are not alone.