Many of you have been there. The dreaded anticipation that something bad is happening or going to happen, constantly waiting for something we cannot see or touch yet we feel it with a morbid intensity that we cannot explain.

I myself suffer with anxiety almost daily and, almost daily, I have to figure out how to calm myself down and get out of that irrational mind-set that something bad is about to happen.

I believe anxiety is a very personal thing. You can sit down with someone who suffers with it as you do but that does not mean you suffer equally. The truth is, in my opinion, almost every single person that suffers with anxiety suffers with their own unique version of it.

So, is anxiety relatable?

Putting two people in a room who both suffer with anxiety and getting them to talk about it and try to relate is a difficult task but one I believe can help. For instance, I have a friend who suffers with anxiety, not quite as bad as I have it, however, any time we have spoken about it my friend has been sympathetic and shown a great deal of empathy. Although the friend may not fully understand what you go through every day, talking to someone who suffers somewhat similarly can definitely help. Remembering you are not alone feels good.

The one thing we are constantly reminded of by professionals is that there is no “quick fix” when it comes to an anxiety disorder. It is true, there is no quick fix but there are things you can do to help yourself when you begin to feel anxious and over time learn to understand and live with it.

At Step One Recovery Centre we have trained and caring professionals that will talk to you not as a patient with a problem but as a human, a person, and put you on the path to dealing with your anxiety and getting back to the best version of yourself.