A Day In the Life With Anxiety- Mark H.

Today is Monday, November 24. I roll over in bed to look at the clock, there it is blinking up at me with the glaring 4:45 am. I roll back over to try to sleep but of course my mind is already awake playing scenarios for the day over and over. Like what if I forgot to order a part? What if there is something I don't know how to fix? What if people get mad at me? With all of this running through my head I lost track of time, it's already 5:30. I take a deep breath and roll out of bed.

I take a quick shower, get dressed, and walk into the kitchen. I grab the blue bowl with white stripes and the milk. I sit down, pour out my cheerios into the bowl and fill it with milk. I'm finished by 7:00. Time to head into work. I grab my jacket and house keys. I lock the front door and walk to my car. Something doesn't feel right so I walk back to the front door to double check the lock. Of course it's locked, it always is.

I arrive at work precisely at 7:20. With my extra 10 minutes I go through my bag double checking that I have everything I need.

As I'm settling in my office I start to feel a little more relaxed, until I turn around and see a stack of computers with notes of their problems. I sit down and start to work. I get past the first laptop quickly, it was a simple fix. As I keep going it seems to be getting harder and harder to concentrate. All of a sudden I'm sweating and my mind is all over the place. Right then a coworker walks into the room to ask me for help with a iPad. All I could do was nod and shoo her away.

Anxiety CAN control your life, but you CAN control your anxiety.

When I get home later that night I double check that my front door is locked behind me and go to the living room to try and get some more work done. Sitting there in the silence with the fan whirring above me is comforting and it keeps me from getting too distracted. After I finish up I go brush my teeth, change, and get into bed. As I'm lying there I start to think about the positives of the day and not the negatives, like how I had a minor panic attack.

Anxiety attacks can come at anytime. Talking can help and so can writing, if you are struggling I recommend you try one of these methods.