Reminder: Your anxiety does not define you

Mental health wasn't always an interest of mine until a few years ago when I began struggling with what I didn't know was generalized anxiety disorder. With the month of May being dedicated to mental health awareness, I want to use this blog post to shed some light on anxiety with the hopes of helping someone out there just like me.

Do you struggle with anxiety?

• Yes
• No
• I'm not sure

What is anxiety?

• Anxiety in simple terms is a feeling of worry/concern around a future event. You may feel that your heart is beating a little faster, your breathing has increased, you may become sweaty, and even feel nauseous. Keep in mind that anxiety looks different for everyone so what you experience might be different from the next person.

• I also want to clarify that occasional anxiety is a normal part of life...think about it. When's the last time anticipated an event? Maybe it was an exam or an upcoming deadline. Or maybe you're worried about something going on with your health, family, or friends. We're only human and that is completely natural! For people like me with a specific anxiety disorder, the feelings of worry or fear aren't temporary and may get worse over time.

DISCLAIMER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'M NOT A DOCTOR...YET. I'M NOT A PSYCHIATRIST, PSYCHOLOGIST, LICENSED COUNSELOR, ETC. I'M ONLY SHARING WITH YOU MY EXPERIENCES AND KNOWLEDGE THAT I'VE GAINED OVER THE YEARS 🤗

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My experience with anxiety has been an emotional rollercoaster to say the least. I really didn't know what I was experiencing and why I was experiencing it. I would find myself worrying excessively about events and feeling fear about the uncertain future. These thoughts would occupy my mind on a daily basis and cause distraction, leaving me unable to get through daily tasks. My anxiety is centered around random events and depends on what's going on in the moment...hence, generalized anxiety. I found a way to self sooth when I was feeling anxious, and began a terrible habit of pulling out my hair and biting my cheeks. I had a lot of trouble sleeping at night and found myself to be very irritable. About 2 years ago is when I really deep dived into my mental health and became determined to improve it on my own. I was able to find ways to ease my anxiety such as meditation, praying, exercising, and journaling. However, after starting medical school it became harder to make time for my mental health and my anxiety is now at the worse its ever been.

I'm still struggling with managing my anxiety and I've become very open about it as you can see. At one point in my life, I was embarrassed to talk about it and worried about how other people would view me. At this current point in my life though, I'm no longer embarrassed and honestly could care less what anyone thinks. I became very aware of my struggles, recently began therapy, and overall came to the realization that my anxiety didn't define me. Unless you're close to me, most people can't tell that I deal with anxiety on a regular. This is good because there's so much more to me! That goes for you too, there's so much more to you than whatever you may be struggling with. There's a lot of help out there and the hardest part is making that first move and talking to someone. I always tell my family and friends that there are literally people who specialize in this, are unbiased, and generally want to help you become better. The point of this blog post is to highlight mental health in general, not just anxiety. With everything going on in the world today, everybody is dealing with something so you're not alone. Remember to always put yourself and your mental health first🤍

I wanted to keep this short and sweet! So I hope this helped someone and if you're reading this and currently going through something....take a deep breath, it's going to be okay!

Virtually Yours,

SNT