Woman Shares Intimate Photo to Show One Way You Can Physically See Anxiety

There’s pressure to only be the “best” versions of ourselves online, so it can be hard to be honest on social media. That’s why it’s refreshing to see posts that get brutally honest about “invisible” conditions — like makeup artist Brittany Nichole Morefield did when she posted an intimate picture of herself on Facebook, showing one way her anxiety manifests physically.

The picture shows her alone in an empty bathtub, with a rash on her leg. The photo is vulnerable, and caption she wrote to accompany it resonated with many — so far, 310,000 people have shared the post, and over 50,000 have commented.

“Anxiety isn’t just having a hard time catching your breath,” she wrote. “Anxiety is waking up at 3 a.m. from a dead sleep because your heart is racing. Anxiety is breaking out in a rash for no reason. Anxiety is stressing over things that may or my not be real. Anxiety is questioning your faith.”

Many tagged their loved ones, while others commented about how much they related to her post. One person wrote, “Everything about this statement is true, a lot of people who love us don’t understand sometimes.. sigh…, so hard to live with anxiety.” Another said, “Thank God someone else knows how I feel.”

To get a little more honestly online, we’ve asked people in our mental health community to share an honest picture they would be too nervous to post on Facebook. You can see those moving photos here.

Read Brittany’s entire post below:

Anxiety isn’t just having a hard time catching your breath. Anxiety is waking up at 3 am from a dead sleep because your heart is racing. Anxiety is breaking out in a rash for no reason. Anxiety is stressing over things that may or my not be real. Anxiety is questioning your faith, how could my creator allow me to feel this way!? Anxiety is calling your sister 3 hours before she gets up for work, in hopes she’ll answer so you can get your mind off the attack. Anxiety is a 2 am shower. Anxiety is your mood changing in a matter of minutes. Anxiety is uncontrollable shaking and twitching. Anxiety is crying, real and painful tears. Anxiety is nausea. Anxiety is crippling. Anxiety is dark. Anxiety is having to make up excuse after excuse for your behavior. Anxiety is fear. Anxiety is worry. Anxiety is physically and emotionally draining. Anxiety is raw. Anxiety is real. Anxiety is a fight with your spouse, even though you’re not mad. Anxiety is snapping at the smallest annoyance. Anxiety is flashbacks. Anxiety is “what if.” Anxiety is a lot of “what’s wrong” and “I don’t know.”

Your feelings matter. Just because you’re bothered by something others aren’t, it doesn’t make you crazy or worthless. Some of the most successful people in life have anxiety. This is not your fault. This is not the end. You are strong. You are intelligent. You are brave. You are worthy.

If you ever need someone to talk to, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I’ll never ever be upset if you make me your 2 am phone call.