A poem about anxiety

It’s the hidden voice that tells you what you can’t do but you can,
The struggles that have held you back ever since it first began.
In a crowded room it’ll shut you up and will tell you not to speak,
It will whisper ‘you’re not good enough’ and make you think that you are weak.
When you try to act against it and you force a conversation,
It will grab your throat and shake it sending your words on a vacation.

Minor worries will be blown up out of irrational proportion,
You’ll lay in bed for hours whilst your mind performs contortion.
It will twist your thoughts convincing you to worry when you shouldn’t,
Create scenarios of fear you’ll think will happen but they wouldn’t,
You’ll find yourself get clammy in a room that isn’t hot,
Controlling nervous tics that you hope others will not spot.

Anxiety hits everyone in a variety of ways,
Whether dealing with it daily or perhaps a passing phase.
You may be struggling socially and find it hard to interact,
Or enjoy your personal space too much and hate physical contact.
Some are body conscious thinking they’re ugly when they’re not,
Some think of what they don’t have instead of realise what they’ve got.
Perhaps you have an exam soon and worried you won’t pass,
But try and see the water half full and not half an empty glass.

It’s a constant battle with yourself that no one else can hear,
Unless you talk and let it out, it may never disappear.
I’m hoping that by writing this, the one thing that I have shown,
Is that whenever anxiety hits you hard,
YOU ARE NOT ALONE.

Written by Nick L @thedadofdesign

Whether you’re concerned about yourself or a loved one, the link below will take you to a list of helplines and support groups that can offer expert advice. (UK).

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/mental-health-helplines/

If you want to help solve the issue of mental health, there are plenty of charities that you can donate to. To make it easier, I have created a JustGiving page below to allow you to donate to ‘Mind- the mental health charity’.

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/thedadofdesign