Simplistic activities like going into a big social setting, walking into a classroom or even ordering food sound like easy and normal things that happen everyday in everybody's life, however for someone that suffers from anxiety they may find these tasks extremely difficult. In recent years mental health has become more publicly known to everyone and this year  April is anxiety awareness month. 

 

When put under a threatening situation our bodies go into flight or fight mode however when you suffer from anxiety some situations like social settings send us into panic. Everyone will feel stressed or worried at least once in their life, however anxiety is when your body perceives small things like ordering food as a threat, and makes people agitated,stressed and nervous for particular situations that may seem easy to everyone else. Anxiety comes in many different forms and can affect some people differently. There are 3 types of anxiety :

Social anxiety

Generalised anxiety 

Health anxiety 

 

Although it is sometimes not talked about enough, many celebrities suffer from this disorder, for example Kendall Jenner, a famous model, stated “I have had times where I feel like I need to be rushed to the hospital because I think my heart is failing….. It can be really intense and scary”

Another well known celebrity who suffers from this disorder is Oprah Winfrey, she stated “I will tell you when I realised that I thought, 'All right, if I don't calm down, I'm gonna be in serious trouble.” 

 

It is important to recognize that clinical anxiety is sometimes extremely isolating and can make someone feel very alone mainly because you are your own worst enemy and that can be extremely consuming and exhausting. Asking for help or talking to friends can often be really difficult because you don’t want their perception of you to change or sometimes you don’t want to be annoying having to talk about a serious topic, however it is important to always reach out to trusted people because they can help you along the way. 

 

Some techniques to deal with anxiety could be to exercise daily, get enough rest, take deep breaths, try not to talk negatively about yourself (do not self sabotage), take time out and limit the amount of alcohol or caffeine consumed. These exercises might relieve some people from their anxiety or even teach others how to deal with people they know who struggle from this disorder. 

 

Websites used :

https://www.webmd.com/anxiety-panic/ss/slideshow-celebrities-anxiety

https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/conditions/social-anxiety/

https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/a-to-z/a/anxiety

https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/fight-or-flight-response/

https://themontclarion.org/opinion/anxiety-a-term-used-too-loosely/

https://adaa.org/tips