Hey guys! Today is the first of my #mentalhealthawarnessmarch series, where I talk about a mental health problem and discuss it. If you missed my last post on this, I also ask for help from you guys so if you would like to blog about a specific mental illness on my blog this month feel free to send me your posts to smitheh01@gmail.com. They can be a story you want to share, what it is like living with one, or even just more of a fact sheet. If you don't want to blog about it but still want to support what I am doing please share my posts on social media and help raise more awareness!
Today I want to talk about Anxiety disorders and panic attacks. I am a sufferer of anxiety, and I know the first thing people always talk about is the fight or flight response and how this goes into overtime, so your body is in a near constant state of prepering to either fight or flight, just like you leanred in GCSE science, but knowing this didn't really help me. There is a difference between feeling anxious and having an anxiety disorder. Everyone feels anxious sometimes, new job, an exam ect but imagine having that anxious feeling the majority of the time, even when there is nothing to be anxious about. Or when there is something to be anxious about the worrying is sent into overdrive. That's what having anxiety is like.
Unfortunately due to the stress people are under today, having an anxiety disorder is becoming more and more common. Honestly now most people would consider themselves to have this mental illness, or most people have the symptoms of the disorder and I think that this is so bad that the everyday pressures are becoming so extreme that we feel like we can't cope under them, that getting onto a bus suddenly becomes something that is terrifying.
Panic attacks is another part of having an anxiety disorder, suddenly you feel faint, and your heart beats faster, you may have chest pains and feel unable to breathe. In a panic attack you may feel like you're going to die or you're having a heart attack and they can last for up to 20 minuets. They can be a very scary experience for people who have never suffered from them before
"My teeth would chatter uncontrollably and my whole body [would] tremble, I’d hyperventilate and cry with panic as the feeling that I was going to fall unconscious was so convincing"
Anxiety is definitly not something to joke about, it can be scary and it is a nightmare to live with, it makes everyday things hard, such as asking a question in scool/ lecture hall, or going out with your friends, or doing something you really want to such as learning to drive.
There are many ways to deal with anxiety however, and with the right treatment and coping stratagies, many people can get it under control. If you feel like you have an anxiety disorder, please go and see a doctor.
If you would like to blog about your experiences with anxiety for mental health awareness march, please send your blogs to me or contact my at smitheh01@gmail.com.
Lots of love,
Eleanor x
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