I suffer from an anxiety disorder, so please, stop always saying that I just need to calm down
Many still believe that those suffering from an anxiety disorder or depression have the ability from one day to the other to manage their feelings of fear and worry.
Then, they will be able to just automatically jump out of bed, drink a cup of coffee, and start over with an extra charge of positive energy that perhaps the day before they did not have.
We are sorry to tell you that this is not exactly the case: Those who suffer from an anxiety disorder or live with it every day do not voluntarily choose to be stuck in that psychological situation.
An anxiety disorder is a cage from which it is difficult to slip through the bars and escape by running away.
via Psychology Today
Some days, those in this condition think that all this pressure, all this suffering of the mind will pass, that it will be easier than it seems and they will able to face and confront their anxiety and defeat it once and for all.
And then there are those lucky days when it seems like that specter, that looming shadow is far away, yet anxiety is always right around the corner when we least expect it.
If people tell us impassively "relax, calm down", this reaction not only tries to minimize our actual state of being, it also does not take into serious consideration this mental disease.
An anxiety disorder and depression are not bacterial infections that can be managed and cured with an antibiotic, so stop telling us to relax, to always smile, even when we do not want to or cannot.
The people around us will never know what it feels like to suffer from an anxiety disorder unless they experience this mental condition personally.
What everyone should know is that an anxiety disorder is a mental illness and depression is also a mental illness and not a temporary point of view regarding the reality that surrounds us.
Consequently, let's stop not giving the right amount of consideration and attention to those who are trying to cry out to us for help.
We can at least try to extend an empathetic and understanding hand towards those who live this condition in which every day is a continuous inner struggle against themselves. We could, in fact, save their life.
