Just Anxious

My anxiety is something that I have had to learn how to deal with for the past couple of years. Unfortunately, I did not successfully learn how to cope with it until a few months ago. This made those few years very complicated and emotional. Though I am unable to say that they were horrible years, I can truthfully say they were very tough.

Waking up every morning with anxiety made the beginnings of my days hard, which then made the rest of the days difficult. The constant knot in my stomach made me sick which made eating almost impossible. The constant anxious thoughts swirling around in my head made it difficult to fall and stay asleep. This was one of the most annoying aspects of my anxiety because sleep is and always will be my one true love.

Anyway, after a few anxiety attacks I was able to go to some counseling which helped immensely. I learned that doing various breathing exercises, yoga and exercising helped me cope when my anxiety was especially bad. Finally, I visited a doctor who prescribed medicine and supplements that helped lower and keep my anxiety down.

Although I cannot say that after taking those various steps I no longer struggle with anxiety, I can say that is getting better. I know I will probably struggle with it for the rest of my life, and throughout these past couple of years, I have learned to be OK with that. Though I have my ups and downs, it has become easier to roll with the punches Life dishes out. I have learned how do duck and dodge them, but I also how to recover when I get hit.

- Hannah Chapman (15)