Anxiety is a term that I never thought applied to me. I’ve muddled through life thinking that my twitching eye and eminent rush of hives were normal occurrences; I mean, they happen often enough. It took me years to realize that these characteristics are far from the scope of normal reality and bode well into the realm of severe anxiety.

As you well-adapted readers already know, I have an overactive mind. It races constantly, never pausing to give my exhausted frame a well-needed break. I stress over the most minute details – things that the average human would gloss over in a heartbeat. I overanalyze a situation to the point of mind-numbing migraines or heart palpitations so violent I feel as if my heart will burst through my chest cavity and land in my waiting palm. In short, my anxiety has intensified over the years, and college served as the catalyst to the ultimate realization of my mental state.

The reason I address stress levels and severe anxiety is because I think it is a correlative component of the depression I sometimes sink into. Just the other day, I felt the restrictive dark cloud looming over me, and I just wasn’t myself. Everything felt slightly off, and even the typical coffee pick-me-up did nothing to improve my state. Eventually, the looming cloud parted, and the sunshine broke through, beaming down on these last few days of the semester.

However, it is important to recognize that everyone has their struggles; the hardest part of life is finding a way to overcome or manage the struggles you face daily. Living on my own was a reality check, and it forced me to find what worked best for me. When depression sinks in, I like to be alone, which is why having a bachelorette pad is ideal. I can throw on oversized sweats and a cozy sweatshirt, brew a steaming pot of Columbia java, and sink into a delightful book.

When anxiety strikes, I find writing to be the perfect remedy; whether it’s poetry or another chapter of my exciting life, writing to me is a punching bag to a frustrated youth. The rhythmic clacking of the keys calms the erratic beating in my chest, and eventually, all is well with the world once again.

While these remedies provide temporary relief, overtime, they will gradually become a normal segment in my routine. I’ve discovered what works in my life, and what works for me might not work for you. Take the time and figure out what calms you; this at least is one step in the right direction. I do not mean to dismiss the calming powers of medication; I’m just not at the point where I’ve considered that an option for me. I’ve evaluated my life and discovered unnecessary stressors in need of purging.

The biggest stress in my life was trying to balance school and work on the fast track I thought I needed to be on to prove to others that I could accomplish things in my life sooner rather than later. A life altering experience was what it took to change my outlook on life. I realized that the only person I need to prove anything to is myself, and I am so proud of everything I’ve accomplished so far. I went from having immensely low expectations of myself and my future to having the highest of hopes that anything is possible if I put in the work. I cannot just sit around waiting for anxiety to box me into a corner while depression sucks the air out of the room and stalks my every move.

All it takes is patience, and I know that sounds naïve, but it works. Anxiety will not rule my life because the power of the written word is always on my side with coffee as its loyal sidekick. I’ll never lose hope because every negative has an even more potent positive waiting to lead me into the next chapter of my exciting life.