THIS Is What Anxiety Feels Like

Sarah Fader, CEO and founder of the non-profit organization Stigma Fighters, started a movement on Twitter #ThisIsWhatAnxietyFeelsLike and it has taken the internet by storm.  This one hashtag has allowed hundreds of people to express their feelings and/or experiences of the impact anxiety has on their lives.  Most people suffer in silence because anxiety tells us nobody will understand, and a lot of people don’t.  If you don’t have an anxiety disorder, if you’ve never had a panic attack, it’s nearly impossible to explain how debilitating it is.  I think Sarah’s trending hashtag is going a long way to open people’s eyes about how the anxious mind works.

Fitting In

Fitting in is totally out of style now, right?!  Too bad my inner child has not caught up with this trend.  Maybe it’s not so much ‘fitting in’ that I have a thing with, it’s more about being liked and having friends.  It goes back to my childhood when I didn’t have a lot of friends, and I definitely didn’t fit in (so maybe it’s a little of both).  

Fluidity of Friendship

Life moves so fast
People go different directions

Suddenly the present is the past
Memories once vivid
Become blurry and faded

Questions

There used to be a fire that burned deep inside me.  The flames fueled my need to write about my life and struggles with depression and anxiety, to connect with other people who may be experiencing something similar, or educate those who were interesting in learning more about such things.  

Nightmares

Shadows lurk in sunlit corners

Demons dance along the borders

Hope

Hope is alive, never deny it.

#sixwordstory

Conflicting Forces

Balance

Above and Beyond

Strength

Her strength penetrates to the bone.

#sixwordstory