Unfortunately, there is no cure for anxiety. Only medication or therapy that can help or ease symptoms. I tried the medication but I got severe side effects so I stopped taking it. This might not be the case for you, so I highly recommend you visiting your local doctor and talking through options.

However, I also know that just visiting a doctor is easier said than done. It took me literal years until I plucked up the courage to talk to a doctor. I just didn't understand how they could help me. They don't have any idea what I'm going through. The only people that do are those that suffer from it as well. But I really wanted to try the medication, and so I visited a doctor just for that reason. Talking to someone about it is TERRIFYING. Even when they won't judge you and they're only there to listen, it's the scariest thing I've ever done. I hate talking about myself and my problems, so this wasn't ideal for me. But that's me. Not you. 

Because I had to stop taking the medication, I had to come to terms with the fact that I will always have anxiety, for the rest of my life. I can't change that. Medication CAN'T change that. So why should I try to? Why should I try to force myself to be confident when I'm not? 

That's not who I am.

And that's when I came to the realization that I AM anxiety. Is it not something inside of me, it IS me. It makes me who I am, whether that be for the better or the worse, whether that makes me scared, nervous and ruins my life, it's ME. 

I still smile. I still laugh. I still talk to people, I still have hopes and dreams. I still engage in conversations even when I know it's going to scare the crap out of me. I still have the same personality. I'm still friendly. I'm still nice. I'm still caring about others. Anxiety didn't CHANGE me. Anxiety IS me. It will always be part of me, always be there. And I own it. For every time it makes me afraid, I own it. 

For every time it causes me to view the world as a danger, I own it.

For every time I close my eyes and wish for it to go away, I own it.

For every time I try to wrap myself in cotton wool and distance myself from life itself, I own it. 

It will never own me.

I've developed this mindset from having it for years. For those that are in the early stages and are still coming to terms with the effects, then please don't be discouraged. I hope that you can one day see it the way I do, but it takes a very long time to get there. 

I encourage you to tell someone. Doesn't matter who. Just one person, it will make the world of a difference. Even if that person IS a doctor, please do it. Don't bottle it up, don't keep living your life this way. There is help out there!

I stated in the previous chapter that one of my many techniques for coping with anxiety is a worry box. I really do recommend it. Write on pieces of paper your worries about that day. If you're at school, do you worry about certain people? Do you worry about something as simple as an exam? Is it taking over your ENTIRE consciousness until you feel dizzy? 

Write it down! Put it in that box, and then go about your day, facing the thing you're most worried about. And then revisit it sometime later. I did it monthly, but you can look back at the end of the day, or the end of the week, and then think hard about why it got you so worried. You made it through it, didn't you? 

It doesn't stop me from worrying altogether, but over time, it eases it. 

I won't lie to you. Anxiety is something that will never go away. It's stuck with us. Even depression can be cured over time, but anxiety is something that happens without our complete awareness. It's almost subconscious. The only way to conquer it is to accept it. 

But the most important thing to remember? You're not alone. 

You are never alone. Whatever you're going through, I've been there. Don't go through it in silence. I will get to depression later in the book but anxiety can very easily lead to clinical depression, something that I've not experienced fully, but have experienced.

Again, if you're worried or have any questions, please write in the comment section or PM me at autumnskiess 

I will always listen :-)