In my experience, people can feel very alone when struggling with anxiety. We may often hear that experiencing anxiety is common , but what isn't common is really understanding the different ways it affects people. The things that trigger you feeling anxious will be different from the next person. Similarly, how you respond to those feelings will look different also.

Understanding your anxiety

Taking the step to seek support for anxiety can be challenging because half the battle lies in recognising and validating your experience enough to grant yourself permission to seek help. I have heard many people say things like:

"I'm just an overthinker, this is how I am" or

"I'm being stupid/I'm overreacting" or

"My anxiety isn't as bad as X person I know"

The narratives we tells ourselves about ourselves often stop us reaching out to get the support we need. If you are consistently downplaying how you really feel, invalidating your own experience, or comparing yourself to others and concluding your feelings don't matter-maybe now is the time to change that.

I understand the complexities of anxiety and how it can manifest differently for each individual. I have worked with people who are so overwhelmed by anxiety that they struggle to leave their house, but I've also worked with those in influential positions who interact with hundreds of people a day but are crippled by the feelings of anxiety. The fall out of anxiety is that you can feel you are simply existing and not living. It's possible for that to change.