Since I learned to walk anxiety has followed me like a shadow. The pitter patter of baby feet could be too loud if I was not careful. I felt terrible when that shaky, wet, feeling of fear and pain twisted my family into promises I had yet to break, failures I had yet to make. I lived in fear of disappointing everyone. With support, understanding, and honesty my family has … [Read more...]
Archives for March 2018
You’ve Got a Friend in Me: A Guide for Supporting Your Partner Through Their Anxiety
When you get involved in a serious romantic relationship with someone, it’s practically inevitable that you become a support system for your partner. The tricky part, however, is dealing with the skeletons that come out of your partner’s closet, and your own for that matter. For me, my skeletons consisted of anxiety, panic attacks, and depressive episodes. Like many other … [Read more...]
On Therapy: What I Learned From Watching My Sister In Therapy
Going to therapy is a huge step in learning to manage mental health issues. I personally have never gone to therapy but I know a few people that have and it has really helped them a lot. My immediate family members seem to be particularly susceptible to mental illness, most likely due to the death of my mom nearly 15 years ago. My dad has been clinically depressed ever since, … [Read more...]
The Hardest Part About Parenting a Teen with Anxiety
I’m not writing to evoke your sympathy. I know that virtually all the contributors in this amazing community are teens. So what do I hope to get from this post? I would love for some parents to step up and start writing about the experiences with the anxiety in their teen’s life. Let’s talk about how to help her/him. Let’s ask the questions where the answers are not so obvious. … [Read more...]
The Culture of My Anxiety: An Indian Girl’s Story
I am sitting in my third grade classroom on a rainy day, as my favorite teacher is reading to the class. Everything is great. I have a wonderful family and wonderful friends. I am contentedly listening to Mrs. Thompson’s calming voice as she reads us a section of a chapter book. I love reading books and listening to stories. But the sudden quickening of my heart and blood … [Read more...]
The Stigma Has Been Amplified
I’m going into this article timidly, as I don’t know how it is going to turn out or what exactly I’m hoping to say, but I do know that I want to, and feel driven to, talk about this. It's time we talked about the recent Florida shooting and its relation to mental illness; and no, this isn’t the tired old discussion or argument that you’re probably thinking it will be. I’m … [Read more...]