Anxiety and Panic attacks are not usually considered as an illness. And most of the mental health problems are taken less seriously than other illnesses. Of course, this is not the battle of what illness is the most serious, but for people struggling with these kind of problems it’s incredibly frustrating when others look at them as kids whining about something they can deal with alone.
People struggling with these type of mental illnesses are normal people. They look normal, act normal, but inside they struggle. Inside, they are incredibly fragile and all of their energy they spend holding the “ropes” so they don’t crumble. And all they need is a little support from the world, that’s all they need. And you have no idea what it means a helping hand in these cases, how powerful it is.
This girl took a photo of herself before having a panic attack. She wanted to upload the image on Facebook but minutes later, she had a panic attack. So, she took a photo of herself courageously immediately after the panic attack and bravely uploaded both as before and after images to show the world that the struggle with anxiety and panic attacks is real.
God knows why I’m doing this, but people need some home truths..Top picture: What I showcase to the world via social…
Posted by Amber Smith on Sunday, April 3, 2016
“I’m so sick of the fact that it’s 2016 and there is still so much stigma around mental health. It disgusts me that so many people are so uneducated and judgemental over the topic. They say that 1 in 3 people will suffer with a mental illness at some point in their life. 1 in 3! Do you know how many people that equates to worldwide?! And yet I’ve been battling with anxiety and depression for years and years and there’s still people that make comments like ‘you’ll get over it’, ‘you don’t need tablets, just be happier’, ‘you’re too young to suffer with that’
FUCK YOU. Fuck all of you small minded people that think that because I physically look ‘fine’ that I’m not battling a monster inside my head every single day.
Someone actually said this to me one day ‘aren’t you too young to be suffering with anxiety and depression? What do you actually have to be depressed about at your age?’ Wow, just wow.
I’m a strong person, I’ve been through my fair share of crap in life (the same as anyone else) and I will be okay. I have the best family and friends around me and I am thankful everyday that they have the patience to help and support me.
To anyone who is going through the same, please do not suffer in silence. There is so much support around – Don’t be scared to ask for help.
This is why I can’t stress enough that it costs nothing to be nice to others. Don’t bully others, don’t put others down and the hardest one of them all (as we have all done it at some point) don’t judge another person. We’re all human regardless of age, race, religion, wealth, job. So build one another up instead of breaking each other down.
Peace & love guys ☮❤”
I know what it means to have panic attacks. You feel like you are squeezing yourself inside yourself to a point where you’ll simply disappear. Your hands spasm, your blood flow shortens, you get all pale and shaking, and you feel like you’re having a heart attack. And this is not even the hardest part. The hardest part is getting out in the world again and spending every quanta of your energy not to have another panic attack, organizing every single thought in your mind.
But this too is curable and the secret of overcoming this lies in your own personal power. I had an enormous help from my family, but in the end it all comes down to how much you push yourself out there. How much you look fear into the eyes and assertively walk towards it showing it that even though you are small, you have courage and power to choose your own fate. However, knowing that you are not alone, and you have people supporting you is of an ENORMOUS help indeed.
That’s why I am sharing the story of this brave woman so the world becomes a little more open about these kind of mental illnesses. Just saying “you got this buddy” to a person struggling with panic attacks can be a game changer.
