Personal Narrative: My Anxiety Disorder

really regret that I did not go. I became a mother with my son and just about all my family members told

To you, I am just another story to tell. My phone is on, but I haven’t received a text in weeks. You remind me of that every day. You laugh at me, call me a whore, tell me I am crazy. To you, I am just another girl for you to destroy. Depression, you make me physically ill. You make me thoughtless. I can’t concentrate on conversations or school anymore. I am just so exhausted. I look forward to the moment I can crawl into bed and sleep my life away. You made my life not worth living. Anxiety, you lowered my self-esteem. I can’t even wear my hair up in ponytails because you told me my forehead was too big. You told me that everyone was watching me walk down the hallway, judging my plain outfits. You pulled me into extreme isolation. When you

This has led me to where I am today in my second semester of college and knowing I have the support of my friends, family and the blessings from heaven, I seem to be doing better than what I believed I would and feel even more at ease. The ever valuable lesson I learned is sometimes there are jobs we may think we cannot do we must

abandon my sister and me.To this day no one in my family has gone to college.I never could

I really didn't like it there. I didn't have my family with me. I was so uncomfortable and

Matthew Ring, a young teenager, was struggling with many depressing and anxious thoughts.After hiding these feelings for some time, he finally gathered the courage to tell his parents. This only allowed his family to recognize his anxious and depressive tendencies.his parents faced the questions of how social media would affect Matthew. Would it help him, or only make things worse? With 92 percent of teens going online every day, according to the Paw Research Center, Matthew used Instagram, the second most common social network site, to reach out to his peers. There he found that many other teens also struggle with the same depressive and anxious thoughts as him. Through making his account focused around supporting others in a positive way, Matthew shows his now over 6000 followers his message of hope.

‘Help’ buttons are found on websites. Sales associates ask if they can help you find anything in their store. Teachers open their classroom doors before school for students to come in and ask questions. But how often do we actually find ourselves clicking on that button, reaching out to the sales associate, or going in before class? Asking for help is not easy. As humans, we desire to be independent creatures. We refuse to show vulnerability and don’t want to be a nuisance to others. I saw my depression and anxiety as a “me problem.” I told myself that my mom and dad didn’t need one more thing on their plate to worry about and that I could handle this on my own. When asked how I was doing, my go- to response was, “I’m fine!” I kept my emotions in a bottle and wore a mask on my face, crossing my fingers that one of these days the cloud would pass and I would be cured. But the problem with diseases is that they refuse to be ignored. The best thing I ever did for myself was push my stubbornness aside and go to my mom with these three words: I need help. It took months for me to build up the courage to say that, but once I did, the cloud over my head started to move. I started taking the right steps towards getting the help I was in need of.

through this and helping me find the strength and ability to accomplish this. It has always been my

It was the last night of rehearsals before we left for state, and we were freaking out. Emotions were running at an all time

I learned about myself in relation to working with persons or at risk for mental health problems that good communication

I like to help people, what I do with my free time I go to meetings where I listen to people who need help, I motive them, I help them to go thru I think that is a way to made some

People on my Facebook site relate well. The “like” posts and joke amongst themselves, but when support is needed they do not hesitate. A friend who was entering rehab was shown acceptance and supported for taking responsibility. The death of a child created an outcry of support for the family.

When I began to realize how much it influenced me, I turned my anxiety into something tangible. I used it as a source of motivation, and in a way, a reality check. My overthinking

But not quite fast enough. Because the next thing that happened was I received a phone call from the directors informing me that they had a made a mistake in the casted and added my name to cast list. Thinking this was a dream I asked if they were serious and they were. My mouth flung open and dropped the phone screaming. A few months later I was practicing with others from all over the county. And I noticed that at school it wasn’t that bad any more because in the rehearsals I not only made a show come to life but Having the opportunity to meet so many talented individuals in the cast I learned that everyone one is here for a reason and it is good to be yourself and long as I am having fun and being me. Later that year once school resumed I decided to join the broadcast program at my school. Every morning the group along with myself would film for the news but that a different

Since at least 1982, the internet has provided a new venue for support group (John Schappi, 2012). Discussing online self-help support groups as the precursor to e-therapy, Martha Ainsworth notes that "the enduring success of these groups has firmly established the potential of computer-mediated communication to enable discussion of sensitive personal issues. For example Email, Usenet and internet bulletin boards have become popular methods of communication for peer-to-peer self-help groups and facilitated support groups. Support groups have long offered companionship and information for people coping with diseases or disabilities, and online situational oriented groups have expanded to offer support for people facing various life circumstances, especially those involving personal and cultural relationships (Van Brunt, 2008).