Some people say that anxiety isn’t real, that “it’s all in your head.” If you suffer from anxiety, you may have experienced someone saying this to you, and you probably felt dismissed and maybe even felt alone questioning your own sanity. Anxiety is not just “all in your head.” IT IS REAL. What’s important to know is that you are not alone. People from all walks of life suffer from this mental health issue. You may look at someone and think there’s no way they know what it’s like to live with anxiety. But, just take a look at some celebrities who understand what you’re going through.
“Everyone experiences a version of anxiety or worry in their lives, and maybe we go through it in a different or more intense way for longer periods of time, but there’s nothing wrong with you.” – Emma Stone
“And it can feel, at times, if you let your anxiety get the better of you, like everybody’s waiting for you to really mess up—and then you’ll be done.” -Taylor Swift
“In the beginning, it was just sort of speeding and a kind of numbness and going from one thing to the next thing to the next thing. I will tell you when I realized that, I thought, ‘All right, if I don’t calm down, I’m gonna be in serious trouble.” – Oprah Winfrey
“I now have no problem with anxiety, it was something I was dealing with in the band… People saw strength in that, and they didn’t seem to expect it from a guy, but they expect it from a female, which to me is crazy. We’re all human. People are often afraid to admit difficulties, but I don’t believe that there should be a struggle with anything that’s the truth.” – Zayn Malik
“The experience I have had [with mental health issues] is that once you start talking about it, you realize that actually you’re part of quite a big club.” – Prince Harry
What is it like to live with anxiety?
Andrea describes what life with anxiety has been like for her.
Anxiety is a monster. It’s an unseen monster that controls me. When I was a little girl, I was afraid of the dark, and the monster under my bed. As I grew up, my fear of that monster vanished, but my anxiety never did.
Living with anxiety takes up nearly 100% of my thoughts. I have countless routines I must do every day all because my anxiety tells me to. The thing that takes the longest is deciding what to wear. I try on 7-10 different outfits every morning.
I have a problem with interacting with people before I even get to work. I don’t want to be this way, but my anxiety prevents me from casually socializing with others.
The rest of my day is filled with varying rituals and fears of thinking someone may ask something unexpected.I’ve actually had panic attacks that leave me hiding under my desk.
Now you may think that I wear my mental health issues on my sleeve. Not! Those who know me have seen my issues when they arise and how I struggle to remain composed. But most others don’t. With practice, I’ve learned how to control my breathing, slow my heart rate, and to show confidence.
I don’t feel I would be able to live with my anxiety without a strong support system. They include a great therapist, an anxiety-support group, and my amazing family and friends. And roller derby! I’m a 40-year-old fanatic. The team and rink and competitions are my happy place. I wish I had found this years ago!
Now I recognize that anxiety is a part of who I am, but it doesn’t define me. It took me a long time to be able to say that. But when I did, my life got a bit easier. As I reached out for help, my life got a lot better.
You don’t have to face anxiety alone.
Like Andrea describes, reaching out for help can make a huge difference in your life. Consider what celebrities have also said:
“I think it’s really important to take the stigma away from mental health…. My brain and my heart are really important to me. I don’t know why I wouldn’t seek help to have those things be as healthy as my teeth. I go to the dentist. So why wouldn’t I go to a shrink?” – Kerry Washington
“The advice I’d give to somebody that’s silently struggling is, you don’t have to live that way. You don’t have to struggle in silence. You can be un-silent. You can live well with a mental health condition, as long as you open up to somebody about it, because it’s really important you share your experience with people so that you can get the help that you need.” – Demi Lovato
“I would say what others have said: It gets better. One day, you’ll find your tribe. You just have to trust that people are out there waiting to love you and celebrate you for who you are. In the meantime, the reality is you might have to be your own tribe. You might have to be your own best friend. That’s not something they’re going to teach you in school. So, start the work of loving yourself.”
– Wentworth Miller
“Being vulnerable is actually a strength and not a weakness — that’s why more and more mental health is such an important thing to talk about. It’s the same as being physically sick. And when you keep all those things inside, when you bottle them up, it makes you ill.” – Cara Delevingne
“You are the one thing in this world, above all other things, that you must never give up on. When I was in middle school, I was struggling with severe anxiety and depression and the help and support I received from my family and a therapist saved my life. Asking for help is the first step. You are more precious to this world than you’ll ever know.” – Lili Reinhart
You are not alone, and we encourage you to seek support and remember that we here at Free2Luv are also in your corner.
