Why I Started Writing About My Anxiety Disorder

Photo of rocky beach in Queensland, Australia, where the author is from. Photo credit

I wanted to help others (and myself).

I struggled with anxiety my whole life and didn’t even know it. I thought that everyday life was meant to be this hard and that I needed to keep pushing through like everyone else. Last year, I was diagnosed with Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD). It changed everything.

I now understand why I worried about every little thing all the time. Why I would have anxiety attacks over seemingly nothing. Why my body was exhibiting strange and difficult symptoms that slowly beat me down each and every single day.

Once I was able to understand GAD, I began to explain to friends and family why I was the way that I was. Almost everyone was shocked as I had hidden it well beneath an extroverted personality and confident manner.

When I tried to find a support forum or a site that I could relate to and help me with GAD, I came up with practically nothing (except for Beautiful Voyager). Anxiety awareness seemed to be buried beneath many other serious mental disorders and issues. I think this is due to the stigma that people with anxiety were merely irrationally dramatic worriers. What they don’t know is it’s actually a physical response to dangers that is seen everywhere by our mind and body. We cannot control it.

This is the reason why I decided to start my blog. Firstly, I wanted to challenge this stigma and educate everyone on what anxiety disorders really are. Secondly, I wanted to share my experiences in the hopes that it can help people. And thirdly, I wanted to create a community of informed individuals to share awareness and help those suffering in silence.

Whether you are struggling yourself, or perhaps you have a friend or family member with this disorder, I can share with you my experiences and knowledge to help you through this as best as I can.

You are not alone. 

Love always, Anxious Butterfly

Nicole lives on the sunny Gold Coast in Queensland Australia. She is the creator of Anxious Butterfly , where she share her life story and embarrassing escapades to raise awareness about anxiety disorders.