There was a time I canceled every social plan for months. I couldn’t explain it—just the thought of being around people made my chest tighten. No one knew because I got good at hiding it. I’d send that “Sorry, not feeling great today” text and hope they didn’t press for details. That’s what anxiety disorders…
There was a time when I thought lavender oil and yoga were just trendy things people posted on Instagram. But during one of my lowest points with anxiety, when my chest felt tight for weeks and my sleep was all over the place, I found myself researching everything outside of conventional meds. That was the…
I never used to think food had anything to do with anxiety. I assumed anxiety was all about stress, trauma, maybe a brain chemistry thing. Nutrition? That sounded like a wellness influencer’s pitch for a smoothie recipe. But after years of navigating anxiety and trying everything from therapy to meditation, I finally started to notice…
I didn’t always realize I had anxiety. For the longest time, I just thought I was “overthinking” or being “too sensitive.” Little did I know, those patterns—racing thoughts at night, avoiding social situations, feeling this low-key dread for no reason—were part of something bigger. It’s strange how normalized anxiety becomes until you stop and really…
It started with tight shoulders and a constant loop of “what if” thoughts. At first, I brushed it off as stress—deadlines, bills, the usual grind. But when I found myself canceling plans for the third time in a week because I couldn’t face another conversation, I knew something deeper was going on. That’s how anxiety…
Back when I first started dealing with anxiety, I thought I just needed more sleep or a little less caffeine. I didn’t realize that what I was feeling—constant chest tightness, irrational fear of daily tasks, and this odd detachment from reality—had a medical name and actual, research-backed treatments. It wasn’t until a doctor finally said,…
When I first realized I might be dealing with more than just “stress,” it hit me in the most unexpected place—at a quiet dinner with friends. My hands were clammy, my chest was tight, and my brain was screaming at me to leave the room immediately. That night, I finally admitted to myself: this wasn’t…
When I first started feeling like something was off, I brushed it off as “just stress.” But the racing thoughts, restless sleep, and that gnawing sense of dread that seemed to hang around for no real reason—it wasn’t just stress. It took me a while (and a couple of panic attacks) to realize what I…
I used to think anxiety was just being “on edge” or feeling nervous before something big. Like that jittery sensation before a job interview or giving a speech in high school. But over time, I learned there’s a massive difference between everyday stress and what’s clinically known as an anxiety disorder. What started for me…