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‘Anxiety is wanting to fix something that isn’t even a problem.’

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“You should be more positive/optimistic.”

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Not everybody is going to understand your struggle. Mental illness, like many other issues in our society, has a lot of stigma attached to it. People are going to tell you things like ‘it’s all in your head.’

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Thank you for knowing I am not JUST my anxiety.

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I am a 23 year-old woman. I am a younger sister, a daughter, a granddaughter, an employee, and a girlfriend.

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The best way to beat anxiety is to know how to recognize what is anxiety and what isn’t.

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I’m writing to you mainly because I just felt like taking the wheel for a change instead of handing you the keys again.

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It’s hard to put into words how someone with anxiety feels. The easiest way I can tell you what we are going through is to tell you to imagine yourself trapped in a cave with no light, food, or water and attempt to survive.

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Whether you are having guests over for wine and hors d’oeuvres or an elaborate dinner, hosting your first party can be exhausting on your panic-wrought soul. Thankfully, I took one for the bumbling mess of a team we are and ventured into the terrifying world of hosting. The verdict: I did it, and you can, too! Yes, my mentally tortured friend, you can execute a dinner party and nothing will start on fire.

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I cried to him countless times because I was scared he was going to leave, and when he held me and told me it was okay, I felt better.