The Top 100 Things You Should Know About Anxiety Disorders

Over the course of a decade you can learn a lot about anything.  You can become an expert at car repair, kitchen remodeling, hair styling, or in my case you can learn about all things anxiety.  Since 1999 I have been battling anxiety non-stop and as a result I’ve learned a thing or two about this topic.

Many of my thoughts on this issue are short thoughts or blurbs that I’ve collected over the years and for no particular reason I wanted to jot them down.  I can’t possibly recall everything but here is a good chunk of it in no particular order.

1. Anxiety can be in your thoughts.

2. Anxiety is in your DNA.

3. An anxiety symptom can be anything your body or mind can generate.

3. The fear of death is closely tied to most forms of anxiety.

4. There isn’t always a deep seeded reason for having an anxiety disorder.

5. Anxiety disorders do not make you crazy.

6. People that don’t have anxiety disorders don’t understand people with anxiety disorders.

7. Antidepressants do work for some people.

8. Antidepressants don’t work for some people.

9. Speaking to a therapist is always worth a shot.

10. You should not pester your "safe" person too much because their reassurances will become less believable.

11. Most anxiety is centered around the heart and your deep sense of worry.

12. There is no cure for anxiety because it is an intricate part of what you are.

13. You can learn to manage anxiety.

14. Supplements and vitamins meant to treat anxiety are not all bad.

15. Supplements and vitamins meant to treat anxiety are not all good.

16. Anxiety lies a lot.

17. Anxiety makes you feel alone, afraid, shocked, worried, angry, frustrated, depressed… infinity.

18. Medical science doesn’t know what causes anxiety disorders exactly. Chemical imbalance, environment, and heredity, are a few of the suspected culprits.

19. People are ashamed to have anxiety disorders or any mental ailment for that matter.

20. Anxiety sufferers want to pull themselves together but they can’t.

21. Anxiety disorders make you self centered.

22. Anxiety makes you sensitive to absolutely everything.

23. When panic strikes and is active no one can make you feel better for at least 10 minutes.

24. Having an anxiety disorder makes you want to find information about anxiety.

25. Your vision will play tricks on you.

26. You will become forgetful.

27. Your muscles will twitch for no reason.

28. You will get heartburn, acid reflux, or other stomach problems including diarrhea.

29. You will want to go pee, a lot.

30. You will want to avoid crowds.

31. You will go into crowds feeling good and want to go home.

32. You will cry for no reason.

33. You may shake and tremble.

34. Dizziness will make you want to puke and or fall down.

35. Your heart will beat too fast sometimes and you will think you’re having a heart attack.

36. People will give you bad advice.

37. People will give you excellence advice that you will ignore.

38. Doctors will often brush you off.

39. Your friends and family may eventually brush off your anxiety and ask you to stop it.

40. Your muscles will ache and be sore.

41. You will think that you are the only one that feels like you do.

42. Daydreaming will become a hobby.

43. You will think you’re choking on things when you’re not.

44. You will crave sweets.

45. Random numbness and tingling will happen.

46. You will often think that death is imminent.

47. Headaches will be frequent and make you feel like your wearing a very tight headband.

48. You will visit the ER and be sent home after a quick check up at least three times a year.

49. Sometimes you will swear that you can’t breath even though you can still talk.

50. Disturbing thoughts can happen.

51. Disturbing thoughts will piss you off because you know you won’t do what you’re thinking but can’t stop thinking the bad thoughts.

52. Most forms of travel will seem way too dangerous.

53. You will want to take vacations frequently.

54. Going to work while anxious will suck.

55. You will generally not tell other people that you have an anxiety disorder.

56. Eating out will not be fun.

57. Criticism will hurt, a lot.

58. Acceptance is a good anxiety remedy that no one really talks about.

59. There isn’t enough research into anxiety disorders and new treatments.

60. Many people have an anxiety disorder and don’t know it.

61. Many people will never seek treatment because they’re embarrassed or afraid of others knowing.

62. You can be happy and have an anxiety disorder.

63. Your self-confidence will take a nose dive sometimes.

64. Being alone will feel good most of the time.

65. You will learn tons of ways to treat anxiety and follow almost none of the tips you learn.

66. You will surf the internet to find information about anxiety symptoms.

67. Reading about other peoples anxiety will be interesting.

68. Paranoia might happen. Paranoia about getting sick or poisoned could happen.

69. You will almost always think that something is or will be wrong with you medically.

70. You will become anxious for no reason sometimes.

71. Panic attacks are short lived but live long in the mind.

72. Adrenaline will become your worst enemy.

73. There are no cool t.v. programs about anxiety disorders.

74. It will be hard to love other people sometimes.

75. Apathy will happen.

76. Depression will happen.

77. Thoughts of suicide might happen and when it does you will go and get help!

78. You will not want to ride roller coasters.

79. Hot and cold flashes don’t mean anything but you might get them.

80. Drinking alcohol will really help you or really bother you.

81. You will have days with no anxiety.

82. You will have several days in a row filled with anxiety.

83. You will think about and worry about things that don’t matter, a lot.

84. You will suffer from primitive fear from time to time.

85. You can do a lot to help yourself.

86. You will need the help of others to help yourself.

87. Feelings of unreality or the perception that everything is fake might happen.

88. Most books about anxiety disorders suck.

89. Having an anxiety disorder can strain relationships.

90. You will often wish that you could just be the old you.

91. You will sometimes wonder why this is happening to you.

92. Shyness will happen.

93. Illegal drugs are bad for anxiety in the long run.

94. People who don’t suffer from anxiety don’t talk about anxiety.

95. People that have anxiety talk about it too much.

96. It doesn’t matter why you have anxiety the important thing is learning to manage it so you can live well.

97. Abraham Lincoln suffered from anxiety and depression.

98. You will forget to work on your anxiety.

99. Talking to other people with anxiety problems can be helpful.

100. You should never give up hope.

I seriously didn’t originally intend to jot down 100 things, but I did and I hope that aside from it’s low level entertainment value it proves a point.  The point being that anxiety is complex, varied, and terribly powerful.

There are more things floating in my head about anxiety but then again that’s what this blog is for.  In the end don’t beat yourself up for feeling or thinking negative things related to anxiety.  As you can see it’s just part of living an anxious life.

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