Digesting Diagnoses

 I was officially diagnosed with anxiety by my doctor at the age of 15. It was something that I had always kind of known was there, but having someone other than yourself say it is definitely a hard pill to swallow. From a young age, I remember sleepless nights because my mind was racing, and stressing myself out about small insignificant things. Part of me thought it would go away when I got older, and that being stressed or scared was just part of being young. However as I grew older, the stress got so bad that I would get physically ill and my body would begin to shut down. When my sophomore year began, it was the first time going back to school after the pandemic. The day before what was supposed to be my first day, I began getting sick, and I could tell my body was shutting down on me. I was unable to make it to the first week of school, as I was stuck in bed and barely able to eat. That was when my parents and I decided it was time to seek medical help. I went to my doctor, received my diagnosis, and was put on medication. It was something I was ashamed of at first, being so unable to control my feelings that I needed to be medicated. Now, after trying multiple different medications for the past four years, I know how normal it is to be prescribed medications and how common mental illness is in general. Not only has medication helped me improve my life and wellbeing, but I've also gone to therapy and learned many ways to cope with anxiety, which have helped me so much as well. Although having anxiety isn't favorable, I have learned to not let it control me or stop me from living my life.