what it is like to live with an anxiety disorder

palmers-medic:

blankslate:

1.
no one ever congratulates you
for doing the really difficult things
like driving on the freeway or getting out of bed or
staying alive

2.
every friendship you make is a countdown
to the moment
when they finally can’t deal
with the missed calls and canceled hangouts
every friendship is on a timer
every friendship expires sooner,
not later

3.
you hear phrases like “bootstraps”
over and over
until you wish you had some to hang
yourself with

4.
you have to learn to simultaneously
relax your muscles
and move them with determination
you have to be in control
and you have to let go
at the same time
it’s enough to drive you into
a blubbering mess

5.
music is a conduit
crying is a conduit
your dad calling is a conduit
everything becomes a conduit
for either having or not having another panic attack

6.
you learn to stop making plans
because you’ll either disappoint yourself
or someone you care about or both

7.
you accept all of it

8.
you hope someday everyone else can
accept it too

It makes me feel so much better to see these kinds of things said by someone else.

how to decode a person with an anxiety disorder

lundibix:

This is by far one of the most important things I’ve seen on tumblr because It describes things I was not able to

things we are trying to do all the time:

• 1. be safe

things we can’t help but do all the time:

• 1. second-guess ourselves
• 2. behave impulsively and reactively
• 3. take everything personally
• 4. worry
• 5. worry
• 6. worry
• 7. have difficulty accepting compliments
• 8. have difficulty reciprocating friendly gestures
• 9. have difficulty finding the courage to respond
• 10.  have difficulty not being suspicious of others’ intentions
• 11.  make a huge deal out of the smallest thing

things you should keep in mind:

• 1. we’re scared of everything
• 2. pretty much all of the time
• 3. it’s an actual disorder
• 4. it manifests as impulsive behavior
• 5. you can’t fix us with words
• 6. telling us “worrying is silly” won’t make us stop worrying
• 7. it’ll only make us feel silly
• 8. and then we’ll worry even more
• 9. “oh god, am i worrying too much? what if she calls me silly again?”
• 10.  like that
• 11.  also, we wear a lot of armor
• 12.  cold, heavy, affection-proof armor with spikes
• 13.  we constructed this armor as children
• 14.  we’re fairly certain you will never be able to pry it apart
• 15.  but there is a nice person under there, we promise

 

things you can do for a friend with an anxiety disorder:

• 1. stick around
• 2. ask him/her if they’re comfortable in a place or situation
• 3. be willing to change the place or situation if not
• 4. activities that help them take their mind off of things are good!
• 5. talk to them even when they might not talk back
• 6. (they’re probably too afraid to say the wrong thing)
• 7. try not to take they’re reactions (or lack thereof) personally
• 8. (the way they expresses themselves are distorted and bent because of their constant fear)
• 9. (and they knows this)
• 10.  give her time to respond to you
• 11.  they will obsess over how she is being interpreted
• 12.  they will anticipate being judged
• 13.  it took me four hours just to type this much
• 14.  even though i sound casual
• 15.  that’s because i have an anxiety disorder

things you shouldn’t do:

• 1. tell us not to worry
• 2. tell us we’ll be fine
• 3. mistake praise for comfort
• 4. ask us if we are “getting help”
• 5. force us to be social
• 6. force us to do things that trigger us
• 7. “face your fears” doesn’t always work
• 8. because—remember—scared of everything
• 9. in fact, it would be more accurate to say we are scared of the fear itself

emergency action procedure for panic attacks:

• 1. be calm
• 2. be patient
• 3. don’t be condescending
• 4. remind us that we’re not crazy
• 5. sit with us
• 6. ask us to tighten and relax our muscles one by one
• 7. remind us that we are breathing
• 8. engage us in a discussion (if we can talk, then we can breathe)
• 9. if we are having trouble breathing, try getting us to exhale slowly
• 10.  or breathe through our nose
• 11.  or have us put our hands on our stomach to feel each breath
• 12.  ask us what needs to change in our environment in order for us to feel safe
• 13.  help us change it
• 14.  usually, just knowing that we have someone on our side willing to fight our scary monsters with us is enough to calm us down

if you have an anxiety disorder:

• 1. it’s okay.
• 2. even if you worry that it’s not okay.
• 3. it’s still okay. it’s okay to be scared. it’s okay to be scared of being scared.
• 4. you are not crazy. you are not a freak.
• 5. i know there’s a person under all that armor.
• 6. and i know you feel isolated because of it.
• 7. i won’t make you take it off.
• 8. but know that you are not alone.

A comic about anxiety.

heymonster:

At least that’s what it’s like for me. 

Meanwhile in the world of depression and anxiety disorders…

I was planning on spending might night studying and preparing for my upcoming exam. Instead I cried, had a panic attack, and vomited while my cat watched in terror. 

Fucking splendid. 

Now back to your regularly scheduled reblogs.