TW // Anxiety, Mental Illness
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i wanted to make a thread on this, just as a way to express how i’ve been feeling lately, and maybe other people will read this and relate. before i say anything else, i would like to add that i have not been officially diagnosed with anxiety -

- but i have a doctors appointment next week and they recommended over the counter medication for me to take in the meantime. i don’t want to sound as if i’m speaking over anyone and i don’t want to upset people since i haven’t officially been diagnosed but this is something i’ve

been struggling with for a very long time and recently i finally got the courage to ask for help. if this thread offends you in any way please let me know and i will take it down.

something that really bothers me about how other people see anxiety is that the term is so normalized, and people use it more as an adjective than as an actual illness. there is a difference between “feeling anxious” and having anxiety.

the dictionary definition of “anxious” is experiencing worry, unease, or nervousness. it is acceptable to use the word anxious when describing the feeling of fear or unease, but there is a problem when you say “my anxiety is acting up” just because you feel anxious.

anxiety is categorized as a “mental disorder.” it isn’t a verb and it’s very harmful to see it used that way because it can invalidate people who actually suffer from it, and it makes it harder for us to actually work up the nerve to ask for help.

and i’ll share my personal story as an example. a week ago, i managed to let my mom know how i’ve been feeling and asked her if i could seek professional help. her response was “i feel that way too sometimes, it will go away. do you want to try essential oils first?”

and this hurt a lot because it was already hard for me to ask for help, and then she simply dismissed my feelings and brushed it off because when she hears “anxiety” she thinks of “anxious,” not a mental disorder.

so next time, instead of saying “i’m having an anxiety attack” or “my anxiety is freaking out,” try saying “i feel anxious right now” or use another word, such as nervous, worried, or uneasy. and remember that i’m only talking about people who don’t have anxiety!! this is for the

people who don’t have it and tend to use the word to describe their everyday worries and fears. if anyone has any questions or wants to talk my dms are open and i will try to answer as best as possible, i’m still learning