After reading this my anger issues popped up first, followed by my thoughtful consideration of what…
By: Leslie Funk
Tags: Fear, Mental Health Awareness, Acceptance, Anxiety

After reading this my anger issues popped up first, followed by my thoughtful consideration of what the word “anxiety” means in your (Kris Gage’s) world. I made an active decision to not allow my anger to write this response and instead killed a handful of snails in my garden to protect my vegetables. I am hoping Kris Gage will keep writing great reads that inspire me to think, investigate and write more. I am not sorry about the snails. They died happy; full of baby lettuce leaves and never saw me coming.

Of course you have your own view, looking out through your personal screens of life experience. You may have dealt with your own anxieties in life and successfully left them in the dust as you charged forward, bravely conquering the challenges and achieving your goals. Simultaneously you may have needed to sidestep your anger issues or express the anger full force by beating large stuffed animals with a bat in your backyard. For you anxiety, anger, maybe a little bit of shame as well were excuses, something to be pushed away or trampled while you pushed and drove yourself forward. There is an old book titled “Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway” (Susan Jeffers, 1998) and I suspect that title sums up how you view anxiety, as a manifestation of fear.

Yes some people feel anxiety because they are fearful and if they can face the fear their anxiety will dissipate or possibly go away completely. I spent over twenty years pushing through my anxieties and leaving fear in the dust. Except the dust stayed with me, it didn’t blow away with the wind. I read books, went to therapies and worked hard to slay my personal beasts. Then in 1998 my doctor recommended I see a Psychiatrist for an evaluation. Diagnosis: GAD and “Control Issues” that could morph into OCD if not treated in therapy. Today, over twenty years later I am still carrying the GAD diagnosis yet I am no longer at risk of developing OCD. Yay for hard work on myself! I am thankful for the help of supportive, kind mental health professionals to teach me how to grow and change.

Then there are those of us that have clinical, diagnosed anxiety disorders; Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Panic Disorder, Social Anxiety, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Specific Phobias. Clinical Anxiety is considerably more intense and often the symptoms are present most of the time or all of the time in the life of the patient. This means medications are utilized to reduce the intensity of symptoms to allow the patient to better function and participate in life. Medication was not the answer for me, so I moved on to learning how to manage my symptoms and create change in my response to those symptoms. I took group classes, saw a therapist and a counselor and committed to daily behaviors to support my desire to improve my quality of life despite the presence of constant anxiety. If I slide and don’t do the work each day the symptoms of GAD will intensify and my ability to function and participate in life quickly declines.

I am smiling that I can write the above paragraph without fear, shame or feeling anxious about how it will be received by readers. It is only in the past few years that Mental Health diagnoses are shared publicly without fear of retaliation or the risk of being labeled as “crazy” for having a diagnosis from a Psychiatrist. I believe this is what has changed; it is now socially acceptable to share, discuss and expose one’s mental health challenges. While there is no guarantee you won’t be judged or trolled the relief in knowing you are not alone in the struggle is worth the risk. Suffering alone with mental illness is a surefire way to make your life worse at the least and put you at risk of ending your life in the worst-case scenario. If you are suffering or feeling like your life is worthless please get help. Call a hotline, tell your doctor or a school counselor, and don’t ignore how you feel, get help so you can enjoy more of life. Kris Gage is correct, “You are NOT Your Anxiety” and you have so much more to share through your writing!