Dear those who witness anxiety or suffer from it,

  Have you ever felt over worked or stressed? Like there is so much to keep up with that you aren't able to think the way you want to? You know you are not alone.

When I went through anxiety, I thought it would never end. The world became busy, and it felt as though there were no places to find peace. A feeling of panic swelled within my body and no matter how hard the situation worked out, there was always something around the corner, ready to give anyone a panic attack.

I remember feeling stressed. It was my second month into senior year, and I hadn't had any trouble with the previous years, but this year felt different. I began to pile up in homework, assignments, projects and thoughts of doubt, especially when looking up colleges. I didn't notice anything until my heart started skipping beats. I thought it was nothing at first, until it continued on and on which made me more nervous.Was it a heart condition? I didn’t want anyone to worry about me, so I kept it to myself, but that only made things worse. You see, I had so much work to finish, family and friends to talk to, people to deal with and college to think about that I had no peace of mind. Even when I was alone, my thoughts kept me from feeling calm. Whenever I went to sleep expecting to wake up better, my heart, instead, skipped beats more often, and I became more worried each time.

Why couldn't I relax? My life was weighing me down, and I didn't understand why. This may sound obvious or cliched, since hundreds of you probably heard this from television or read it in magazines or books, but you need to talk to someone about this, in this case, a professional. Once I spoke to a professional, it felt like a heavy weight was lifted off my shoulders.

Though I agree that a professional is the best option, people can find their own ways in calming down. One way, and the most important way, is to breathe. Take long, slow, deep breaths. Meditate when you are alone, make time for yourself, and tell others when you want to be by yourself. We all deserve to relax and take a breather.
I understand when people want to be alone, they have the right to do so. Stress brings people down and may cause them to go into depression. Don’t let it get to that point.