Anxiety. A very personal and a very hard to communicate subject. The feeling when your entire world collapses around you all the time. That feeling of nervousness that makes it impossible and almost terrifying to do the simplest of daily actives. For those who do not suffer from anxiety, you can relate it to that feeling when you were a little kid on the playground and you fall off the monkey bars, the wind gets knocked out of you and you feel like you can't breathe. Anxiety differs from person to person. For some it can be completely functional and you can go on with your day without anyone around you having the slightest idea of what you are internally struggling with. For others its crippling, it causes you to feel trapped, to feel like you are petrified to go anywhere in public because maybe you will have a panic attack or maybe someone will notice you aren't yourself. And that is just it.

When someone is struggling with anxiety they are not themselves, they are tired mentally and physically from constantly feeling like that little kid on the playground that fell off the monkey bars. Relationships become hard and friendships even harder. It is hard to open up to someone about your anxiety when most do not and will never understand it. Constantly worrying that others will think your crazy or paranoid because of something entirely out of your control. So, therefore, you don't tell a soul and you bottle it up to avoid showing anyone the invisible battle wounds you are scarred from dealing with this every day. It's hard, it is really fucking hard. Accept that, embrace that. Finding a way to deal with anxiety is the only way to overcome it. People fight all sorts of diseases so why can we not fight against our anxiety? Find the positives, it can be hard to remain positive when our racing minds cause us to constantly overthink and worry about things that most wouldn't even think twice about.

Own it, never be ashamed of it. If someone in this generation does not believe that mental disease is just as scientifically proven as diseases such as cancer or heart disease then they most likely aren't worth your time or anyone else's for that matter. Accepting and embracing anxiety can be the most effective way of overcoming it. Realizing what are triggers for anxiety and allowing ourselves to accept that is liberating in itself. Breathe, choose happiness. Instead of thinking of the worst possible outcome, take a break by thinking about the best. Allowing yourself to say this is my anxiety and I am stronger than that. You are stronger than your anxiety. Fuel the strong part of soul and allow the anxious part to subside. Everything will be okay and life will not always feel like you are the little kid from the playground.

Remember always that you are stronger than your anxiety.