You might have seen her sit quietly staring into the distance with a panic in her eye.
Anxiety isnt one-size-fits-all, it isnt consistent and it isnt always easy to tell.
Its because she never thinks nothing.
Laura Mazza
Her thoughts replay like a freight train in her head, full steam ahead, over and over.
Its exhausting for her.
Its why shes tired.
Laura Mazza
There isnt a day that goes by where she doesnt think.
She thinks about everything, and usually it is the worst case scenario.
She worries that something will go wrong.
That some days, if she leaves the house, something will happen.
But its not so easy.
Do you regret it?
Do you wish you were with someone else that didnt have this vice around their neck?
The pressure for you would be immense.
She even gets anxiety about you.
Do it with her, take over, tell her to sit down for a while and breathe.
If you see her struggling with appointments, reschedule them for her, encourage her to take it slowly.
Too much is overwhelming for her, even though she has good intentions.
Dont make her feel bad for missing an appointment, a party, whatever.
She wanted to go, but she couldnt.
She already feels bad.
Tells her its okay.
Tell her to go back to bed.
Sometimes the answer wont be so obvious.
She or you wont benefit if you get frustrated, itll just escalate and make both of you miserable.
Anxiety is heartbreaking for her.
She wishes she could just feel free.
The free feeling of just being carefree and not a prisoner to this ugly illness.
Free of the voice that follows her listing all her insecurities.
Shes vulnerable and scared.
And just as you are by her side, she will be fiercely loyal to you.
This story originally appeared onThe Mum on the Runand is reprinted here with permission.
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Laura Mazza is a mom of two wild children who drive her crazy but whom she loves dearly.
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