Knowing others are also going through the same thing can be really helpful. It can help us feel validated, less isolated and heard.
Even though I have a lifetime experience of different forms of anxiety, and I have worked in the mental health field for 26 years, I still feel very isolated each time the anxiety flares up.
I’ve just been reading about the prevalence of anxiety, the experiences of groups that I have been working with, and the experience of celebrities. It has reminded me that anxiety is exceptionally common and many other people are going through it too.
I’ve recently returned from a music festival and I remember looking at everyone thinking, everyone looks fine, calm and happy and enjoying themselves. I had a great time at the festival, but before I went away I was struggling with peri menopause and nighttime anxiety. Reading today has reminded me that we are not alone, but it’s just something we don’t talk about. If we have backache or a cold, we tell others that we are in pain, or don't feel quite right. We share that common understanding and experience. We don’t do the same with anxiety, so it feels very very isolating. We can feel like the only one that is experiencing it, and we feel alone.
With anxiety if can be really helpful to know:
Others are going through the same experience, but also not talking about it
That many people feel anxious in many different situations
It is a survival response, to keep our brain and body safe
It can switch on ,and get stuck on, when we don't really need it
It is not harmful and it will pass.
It can feel very frightening, it is there to make us take notice when situations around us don’t fit our values or our behaviour. But it is also part of a natural response.
More than 1 in 5 adults have anxiety or depression
1 in 4 young adults aged 16–24 has anxiety or depression
If you are feeling anxious, recognise it and name it. Mention it to someone for support, they might also be feeling the same as you.