Personal Narrative: My Life With Generalized Anxiety Disorder

For the longest time, I thought that I was simply a deep thinker. I would stay awake at night constantly worrying about the next day and end up twenty years in the future, no exaggeration. I had no idea how to live in the present, my mind would choose various times in my life. I found myself worrying about a conversation I had a few years ago and wishing I had said something else. Ever since being diagnosed with anxiety, it was like adding another puzzle piece to my blurred past. With being adopted, my medical history is like a lottery ticket. I just have to hope that my birth parents’ genetics will not pass on any life-threatening diseases to me and I will have to go through life seeing what is going to happen. I find that the more we understand

This can include worrying the day before an important exam, getting a brand new job, and trying to figure out how to pay the electric bill by the monthly deadline. On the contrary, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) consists of worrying about occurrences for at least six months and it affects one’s daily routine. “Physical symptoms that often accompany the anxiety include fatigue, headaches, muscle tension, muscle aches, difficulty swallowing, trembling, twitching, irritability, sweating, nausea, lightheadedness, having to go to the bathroom frequently, feeling out of breath, and hot flashes.” ( Imagine the constant feeling of butterflies in your stomach, your heart beating a mile a minute, and feeling nauseous 24/7. If one can recognize that they worry about little things for a long period of time; that is the best time to consult a healthcare professional. Anxiety can be caused by a certain number of factors. Anxiety can be genetic, an imbalance of brain chemistry, or triggered by life events. “GAD affects about 6.8 million American adults, including twice as many women as men. The disorder develops gradually and can begin at any point in the life cycle, although the years of highest risk are between childhood and middle age.” (“Facts and Statistics,”

This can include when walking down a street at night, having to speak in front of a large audience, or seeing a scary looking dog. People can experience panic attacks out of nowhere or can be brought about by certain situations. A panic disorder can be crippling to one’s lifestyle. It would be hard to do simple tasks when one feels like their heart is beating out of their chest and the mind cannot think straight. Living a life in constant fear is detrimental alone. This disorder is practically living in a nightmare except the nightmare is your life and seeking help is completely essential to restoring peace within oneself. It would be hard to go to work, take care of a family, and/or take care of yourself if constantly panicked. “There are six million Americans are effected with this disorder. 2.7% of women are twice as likely to be affected as men. There is also a very high comorbidity rate with major depression” (“Facts and Statistics,”