Here’s What I Wish My Parents Knew About What It’s Like Living With Anxiety

You’re probably already anxious reading the title of this article because let’s be honest, parents aren’t always the most understanding people in our lives. It’s safe to say that our feelings aren’t always the biggest importance in their lives. It’s okay! You’re not alone, we feel it too! Here are some things we wish we could tell our parents about what it’s like living with anxiety.

1. This is not a choice and it’s something that I can not control

You hang out with your family and friends having a wonderful time then suddenly; all these thoughts start flowing out of nowhere and you’re sitting there all quiet because your anxiety kicks in.

2. I need patience and reassurance

Mhm, yeah, I think we’re all guilty of this. When our parents are interrogating us and we have these worries of why they’re not answering our texts and or calls, we go into panic mode and think something horrible happened but then two minutes later they just said they went to the grocery store.

3. It can be both physically and mentally exhausting

Our parents ask us why we’re so grouchy then happy the next… but it’s because our thoughts are keeping us up all night and then when they finally go away, it’s already morning.

4. There’s more to it than just being “worried”

There are so many things that are happening in our lives and although it can be extremely overwhelming, these thoughts are actually insecurities and frustrations which turn into stress. I’m not just worried, but I’m also stressed and depressed…

5. I’m not trying to be difficult when it comes to doing smaller tasks, I’m just overwhelmed!

Your parents already told you to wash the dishes, sweep the house, fold the clothes and now all you want to do is sleep, but they think you’re just being lazy. You’re overwhelmed with all the energy that you don’t already have but you’ll pretend to have anyways, so your parents won’t ask you any questions.

6. Sometimes, my anxiety causes me to be antisocial.

You wish you cared about what everybody else was going through, but you’re too caught up with your own thoughts, how others perceive you and oh right, “I have no friends.”

7. Listening to what I have to say is sometimes better than constantly trying to cure this illness with medication.

You finally express how you feel to your parents… then they rush you with a bunch of positive sayings and attributes trying to help but it’s not the kind of help you want right then and there.

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8. Thinking about anxiety already gives me anxiety and having to explain myself gives me anxiety.

You come home from school or work and you look tired then your parents ask you, “what’s wrong?” and you sit there already breaking a sweat because your anxiety kicks in, so instead of telling them, you just say “nothing.”

9. I can’t get out of bed today and do life.

I’m not procrastinating, my anxiety is seriously crippling me so that I do not have the energy to do anything but stay in bed. That’s just what it’s like living with anxiety

10. It’s hard to stop worrying and even if they’re not real worries to you, they’re very real to me.

It’s extremely difficult to stop overwhelming ourselves and it can sound so ridiculous to our parents when we’re worried about our math test score when we all know that we may be amazing in mathematics, but there’s still that 1% chance that we can fail. A lot of people don’t understand what it’s like living with anxiety.

Believe me, we’re all thinking the same thing. Even though you can get caught up in your own head sometimes, know that we get you and you don’t have to go through this alone! What are other things you wish you could tell your parents about living with anxiety?

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