In the most colorful way possible, how would you describe what anxiety feels like to you?
If you live with anxiety, you’re probably all too familiar with words like heart palpitations, sweaty, hyperventilation, uncontrollable worry, and restlessness being used to describe how anxiety feels. While these terms may ring true for you, they're definitely not as colorful or personal as, say, describing your anxiety using the Mr. Krabs meme or referring to it as an elephant that won't stop whining and following you around.
As our editorial director Ben says, “The more memorable the description is, the more likely it’ll be internalized.” While he uses Taz from “Looney Tunes” to explain his anxiety to himself and others, my anxiety looks more like Piglet from “Winnie-the-Pooh.” I’m a worrier and, especially as a panic attack sets in, I tend to externalize my excessive worrying.
(Do I sometimes identify more with Rabbit these days when I feel like I don’t have control over a situation and my anxiety turns into anger? I sure do, but Piglet has always been one of my favorites, so he’s my go-to. 🐷)
In nontraditional and unscientific terms, what does your anxiety feel like to you? (Don’t worry, you don’t need to find a cartoon character to describe yours!)
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