Tuesday, August 19, 2014

What anxiety is and is not!

        For starters I thought it would be very beneficial to cover what anxiety is and is not. Anxiety is defined by Dictionary.com as "distress or uneasiness of the mind caused by fear of danger or misfortune." This is the most common form of anxiety that we all experience at one time or another. This could be being nervous before riding a roller coaster or being scared to kill a spider in the house. Most people can relate to this kind of tension in their lives.
        Then whats the big deal, right? You just kill the spider and go on with your life! Sure, if your anxiety is not chronic or a disorder. Listed below are the different ways people with and without chronic anxiety might react to a similar situation...

Failing their first test of the semester...
Without chronic anxiety- Well, this sucks, I guess I'm really going to have to study for the midterm. Maybe I should join a study group?
With chronic anxiety- Are you kidding?! I studied for three hours last night! I don't have the time to study anymore. I'm going to be lucky to pass the class! There goes my GPA!

        To some of you out there this may seem overly dramatized, but my husband and the rest of my family can attest to the fact that this is a very realistic depiction. 
                                            
I love this illustration, it does the mind good to have a little laugh.

Anxiety is....
  • Very common
  • Different for everybody
Anxiety is not...
  • something everybody can just "get over" or "deal with"
  • always passing, it sometimes sticks around for long periods of time which is "chronic" anxiety

      Thank you all so much for reading! Please be looking out for the next post!
                                                                                -Much Love, Lis
Hello to all of those beautiful faces out there!

I am so glad you took the time to check out my blog! Given that this is the first post I feel that I should introduce myself. That being said, here we go!

I am a college student, newlywed (yay!), and most significantly, a Christian. I believe with all of my heart that God has changed my life, and continues to do so daily. My reason for beginning this blog is much more personal though; I have chronic anxiety. I have struggled with this most of my life, but did not know that I had anxiety until I began seeing a counselor in college. Now, I am trying to learn how to set achievable expectations for myself, learn, and grow. Recently it has been made clear to me that a certain amount of freedom comes from taking this embarrassing secret of anxiety and letting it out. That is the root of this blog; Peace from anxiety, Love with my husband, friends, and family, and my relationship with Jesus.
                                                                                  -Much Love, Lis