Get Over it....A Poem About Anxiety

So as you guys know, I tend to talk about anxiety a lot because it is something that is very important to me.

The other day I was having a panic attack and someone said to me "Oh get over it, it's just anxiety" which only made it worse.  I didn't really know how to respond to it, so I started writing and writing and ended up writing this poem to explain how I was feeling in that moment.

It's called "Get Over It".

A reminder that all people handle anxiety differently and each case is unique, but this has been my experience with it. For a long time it was something I didn't want to talk about, but now I feel like I have to talk about it if I want people to understand.

Here are some of my tips for handling anxiety.

1. Always ask what the person needs. Never assume they want to be held or want water or whatever the case may be. You should be cautious to what they need.

2. Remember being anxious is different than anxiety. Often feeling anxious is manageable while having anxiety becomes reckless and uncontrollable.

3. Yes it isn't logical and yes I know that so you telling me that isn't helping. I get it. I should be able to calm down, but I can't and I don't need you to remind me of it.

4. Please don't refer to it as "just anxiety". That makes me feel super conscious that I am ruining something or being a burden, only making my anxiety worse.

5. Please don't point it out to everyone around you. I really don'y want a ton of people around and already am embarrassed if I'm in public.

6. "You'll be fine" , "Calm Down" "Shhh" and baby talk are not helping the situation.

7. Please try not to say I understand because even with other people who have anxiety, every situation is unique.

8. Just be as comforting as possible and try to do whatever you can.

9. Never make yourself uncomfortable. If you can't handle it in that moment or in that situation, that's okay. Self-protection is important!

10. Let's talk the next day. Check in, see how I'm doing, try to find out what happened, but if I don't want to talk, please try not to push. It goes from helpful to harmful.

Those seem very particular and they are. Those are just tips for if you see me having anxiety, but once again every situation is different.

Thank you everyone for taking the time to read and talk about anxiety. It's important.