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People Are Tweeting #WhatAnxietyFeelsLike

Photo credit: Getty Images
Photo credit: Getty Images

From Cosmopolitan

Back in February, Sarah Fader, 37, the Brooklyn, New York-based founder of the mental health nonprofit Stigma Fighters, sent a tweet about the anxiety she feels while waiting for a text-message response, and she knew she couldn't be alone in experiencing this feeling.

Photo credit: Giphy
Photo credit: Giphy

Sarah, a mother of two who experienced her first anxiety-fueled panic attack at age 15, still struggles with it today and wanted people to understand her particular pain. She tacked on the hashtag, #ThisIsWhatAnxietyFeelsLike, since "anxiety can feel debilitating to people who have it. I want people to understand this," she says. Next, she asked her followers to use the hashtag to share their own experiences with anxiety. Boy, did they respond:

Since then, #ThisIsWhatAnxietyFeelsLike has been used several hundred times, with people speaking out about their personal experiences with an ailment that so many suffer from in silence - even though anxiety disorders are the most prevalent mental issue in the U.S.: They affect nearly 2 out of every 5 people, according to stats from the National Institute of Mental Health.

Still, Sarah says anxiety remains misunderstood. For instance, there's a difference between everyday stressors - like worrying for a hot second that it'll rain when you've forgotten your umbrella - and suffering from a chronic anxiety disorder, which can make it difficult to function, according to those who've shared their personal experiences on Twitter.

Sarah also wants people to know that you can't always control your anxiety naturally with methods like yoga and mediation, since some forms of anxiety can be traced to brain chemistry, and those who suffer from anxiety aren't "making it up" or "being dramatic" - so you should really lay off 'em.

Now that Sarah's campaign is making headlines, here's hoping those who've weighed in finally see that they're not alone.

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