You ever catch yourself rewriting your to-do list five times in one morning? Yeah, same. I used to think it was just me trying to be productive—or worse, just a quirky habit. But over time, I realized it had a name and a root: overplanning as a response to anxiety. It’s sneaky. You feel in…
People have always told me I’m “too quiet.” I used to take that personally. For years, I assumed I was just socially awkward or had something wrong with me. It wasn’t until I sat across from a therapist in my late 20s, nervously fiddling with a paper cup of water, that I realized there was…
It’s hard to explain something that doesn’t leave bruises. When you try to talk about anxiety to your family, it can feel like you’re describing a ghost—there’s nothing to see, but you feel it everywhere. I’ve been there more times than I can count. You finally work up the courage to open up, only to…
I didn’t realize how much my anxiety was rooted in my childhood until I found myself reacting to adult situations in ways that didn’t make sense. A simple disagreement with a friend? My heart would race. An unexpected call from work? Instant panic. It wasn’t about the moment—it was about something deeper. If you’ve ever…
It started in the middle of a work meeting. My chest felt tight, like something was sitting on it. My heart was pounding so hard I thought everyone could hear it. My left arm tingled, and I genuinely thought—this is it. I’m having a heart attack. I excused myself, rushed to urgent care, and after…
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…