What are Anxiety Disorders?
I’m not a doctor. I’m not a therapist. And I sure as hell never planned to write about anxiety disorders. But here I am, telling you this story, not because I have all the answers — but because I’ve lived through the questions. And if you’ve ever had your heart race for no reason, felt like you were losing control in a Target checkout line, or woken up at 3 a.m. already exhausted for the day ahead — yeah, we might be the same kind of messed up.
Let me tell you something raw:
I used to think anxiety disorders were just excuses. Like, “Oh, you’re nervous? Cool, so am I before interviews.” I didn’t get it. Not until my body basically mutinied on me.
The Breakdown That Wasn't Just Stress
It started subtle. A racing heart here. An inexplicable feeling of doom there. Little things. Annoying but manageable.
Then one day, sitting in a team meeting (where literally nothing important was being discussed), I felt like I was dying. Like, real dying — cold sweats, blurred vision, chest tightness, all of it. I excused myself like a polite human and promptly hyperventilated in a locked bathroom stall. Super glamorous.
That was the first of many panic attacks I didn’t know were panic attacks. I Googled everything. Heart attack? Nope. Stroke? Also no. Cursed? Possibly.
Turns out, it was anxiety. Not “a little stress.” Not “overthinking.” Not “just being dramatic.”
An actual disorder.
So… What Are Anxiety Disorders?
If you're expecting a WebMD-style breakdown, click away now. But here’s how I understand it:
Anxiety disorders are when your brain’s built-in alarm system goes totally haywire. It’s like getting fire alarms at 2 a.m. because someone thought about making toast.
You live in a loop — anticipating danger where there is none, reacting like you’re being chased when you’re just, I dunno, answering emails.
For me, it showed up as:
- Constant worry about nothing (and everything)
- Avoiding events for fear of freaking out
- Obsessing over tiny mistakes like they were capital crimes
- Physical symptoms that felt like diseases but weren’t
If any of this feels too familiar… welcome to the club I never wanted to join.
But here’s the part that doesn’t suck:
You can do something about it. Not a miracle cure, but real, gritty steps that helped me reclaim my life — and maybe can help you too.
Step 1: Admit You’re Not Just “Stressed”
Sounds obvious, right? But I spent YEARS in denial. I’d say, “I’m just tired,” “It’s work,” “Maybe it’s my blood sugar.”
It wasn’t.
It was anxiety. And the moment I stopped gaslighting myself, I started getting better. Not fixed. Not healed. But better.
Pro tip: If your go-to solution for panic is to “drink water and walk it off,” you’re probably ignoring something deeper.
Step 2: Get the Right Help (Not Just Instagram Quotes)
Don’t get me wrong — I love a good motivational meme. But that alone didn’t pull me out of the pit.
Talking to a therapist was terrifying. But holy hell, it was worth it. Mine helped me:
- Understand triggers (spoiler: mine was trying to be perfect)
- Learn grounding techniques (like the 5-4-3-2-1 sensory hack)
- Stop shaming myself for needing help
I also got diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). Just having a name for it helped. It wasn’t me being weak — it was my brain doing the most unhelpful cardio.
Step 3: Break the Body-Anxiety Cycle
I used to live in my head. Every weird heartbeat, tingle, or breath became an emergency.
“Am I dying?”
“Is this cancer?”
“Do I need to call 911 or just nap?”
Eventually, I realized I had to rewire how my body and brain talked to each other. I tried:
- Box breathing: In for 4, hold for 4, out for 4, hold for 4
- Walking every day (even when I didn’t want to leave the house)
- Progressive muscle relaxation: Sounds boring. Works miracles.
Small things, done consistently, started making a dent. No, I didn’t become a zen monk. But I could go grocery shopping again. That’s a win.
Step 4: Stop Drinking Your Own Poison (aka Caffeine & Doomscrolling)
Look, I love coffee. Like, irrationally. But I had to make a hard choice.
Caffeine made my anxiety 10x worse.
I cut back to one small cup a day — and noticed a huge change. Also, I stopped scrolling Twitter every time I felt anxious. That was like tossing gasoline on a forest fire.
Try replacing that habit with:
- Journaling (rage writing allowed)
- Doodling nonsense
- Calling someone who won’t gaslight you
It’s not magic, but it stops the cycle from feeding itself.
Step 5: Challenge the Lies in Your Head
Anxiety is a liar. A really convincing one. It told me:
- “Everyone’s judging you.”
- “You’ll mess this up.”
- “You’re not safe.”
I believed it… until I didn’t.
Now, when those thoughts come, I hit them with:
- “Okay, but what’s the actual evidence?”
- “Even if that happens, will I survive?”
- “What would I tell a friend right now?”
That last one is KEY. I was so much kinder to others than I was to myself. Shifting that lens helped me breathe again.
Step 6: Redefine What ‘Positive Life’ Actually Means
For years, I thought positivity meant always smiling, never complaining, being chill 24/7.
Spoiler: That’s toxic. And impossible.
A positive life isn’t one where anxiety disappears. It’s one where:
- You catch it before it spirals
- You know what helps and do it, even when it’s hard
- You give yourself grace on the bad days
- You can laugh at the ridiculousness of your brain sometimes
My life is still full of weird anxiety moments. Like when I cried in an Uber because the driver took a different route. Or when I convinced myself my sore throat was a rare tropical disease.
But now I laugh about it. I talk about it. I don’t let it rule me.
No heading here, just me being real:
If you’re still reading this, thank you. You probably have your own battles, and I just want to say this:
You’re not broken. You’re just wired a little spicy.
Anxiety disorders suck — but they aren’t the end of your story. They’re just a plot twist. One that, yeah, you didn’t ask for. But you can work with it.
So no — mastering your mind isn’t some overnight miracle. But for me?
It was the difference between surviving and actually living.
You got this. Really.
— Someone who's been there ❤️
