by April Mendez
Anxiety is a mental health disorder characterized by feelings of worry, anxiety, or fear, and usually interferes with one’s daily activities. For me, it is very hard to deal with.
I had my first panic attack when I was about 8 or 9 years old. I remember it almost vividly. It was my aunt’s birthday at an Italian restaurant. I was so scared and embarrassed because this had never happened to me before. My aunt had talked to me after, saying to “Don’t worry, this used to happen to me all the time”. After she said that, I calmed down a bit. Until that day. I knew why I was feeling this way and why.
Panic attacks are when you have overwhelming thoughts or fear. I’ve personally experienced this many times. Your heart pounds and you feel like you can’t breathe. You may even feel like your dying or going crazy. It’s an awful feeling. I get anxiety over little things like worrying about how much groceries will cost for me and my family at the store, to bigger things like me losing my aunt. It all just depends on what’s happening.
I feel a little better that I’m not the only one going through it and that the people going through it aren’t alone either. For example, my cousin also has anxiety. This helps because a I know a couple of people who deal with this and they know what I go through. I never got over the fact I have anxiety; I just feel better not being alone in this. I try not to focus on the small things, but sometimes the small things are hard to avoid. Having my cousin with me through these episodes helps me alot and having her in my life is also comforting.
If you have anxiety, don’t let it define who you are. Be you as long as you’re happy and you enjoy being you. My way of being happy and dealing with my anxiety is by listening to music. Even though it’s difficult having anxiety, I try my best to stay strong and happy.
I had my first panic attack when I was about 8 or 9 years old. I remember it almost vividly. It was my aunt’s birthday at an Italian restaurant. I was so scared and embarrassed because this had never happened to me before. My aunt had talked to me after, saying to “Don’t worry, this used to happen to me all the time”. After she said that, I calmed down a bit. Until that day. I knew why I was feeling this way and why.
Panic attacks are when you have overwhelming thoughts or fear. I’ve personally experienced this many times. Your heart pounds and you feel like you can’t breathe. You may even feel like your dying or going crazy. It’s an awful feeling. I get anxiety over little things like worrying about how much groceries will cost for me and my family at the store, to bigger things like me losing my aunt. It all just depends on what’s happening.
I feel a little better that I’m not the only one going through it and that the people going through it aren’t alone either. For example, my cousin also has anxiety. This helps because a I know a couple of people who deal with this and they know what I go through. I never got over the fact I have anxiety; I just feel better not being alone in this. I try not to focus on the small things, but sometimes the small things are hard to avoid. Having my cousin with me through these episodes helps me alot and having her in my life is also comforting.
If you have anxiety, don’t let it define who you are. Be you as long as you’re happy and you enjoy being you. My way of being happy and dealing with my anxiety is by listening to music. Even though it’s difficult having anxiety, I try my best to stay strong and happy.