“Everyone else seemed so carefree. I was riddled with worry and didn’t want anybody looking at me. I didn’t want to be the center of attention at my own WEDDING.”
‘My legs suddenly went numb. I clutched the wall in horror, like a child at an ice-skating rink. What was happening to me?’: Woman opens up about anxiety journey
‘I had a huge fear of public speaking, until I turned 30.’: Man overcomes social anxiety, depression to pursue stand-up comedian dreams
“I agreed to a small part, but I ended up doing 12 episodes across two seasons. For the first time, I felt like I had a voice.”
I Let My Anxiety Convince Me I Was A Bad Mother
“I was deep in a hole with no way up and out. I wondered if it would be better for everyone if I just ended it.”
‘This is what you DESERVE.’ Even my previous therapists made snide comments.’: Woman in recovery for eating disorder says ‘recovery is BEAUTIFUL’
“’You don’t deserve this pain. Not only that, you don’t deserve anything which has been done to you to cause this pain.’ I believed her.”
‘Everyone thinks you’re free once you leave an abusive relationship. It’s not true.’: Woman shares self-love journey after abuse, ‘I’m stronger than I thought’
“You have to stay strong, every day.”
‘My psychiatrist said, ‘Technically, you’re on the highest dose I can legally prescribe you…’ At 8, I’d had my first panic attack. I didn’t want to live life this way anymore.’: Young woman details journey with anxiety
“I walked out of the office and something just clicked. I didn’t want to live my life this way anymore. The racing heart, nausea, paralyzing fear, uncontrollable shaking. I knew in my heart there had to be some other option.”
‘Molly…’ My husband looked me dead in the eye. ‘We need to talk.’ Shaking, he told me the painful truth no one in a monogamous relationship wants to hear.’: Divorcee urges ‘listen to your heart’
“I sat there in silence for what seemed like an eternity. ‘Say something, please…’ he begged. After several minutes, all I could manage to mutter was, ‘Well, I guess now we finally have an excuse to get a divorce.’ Within 2 weeks, I watched my dreams of building a life and a family disappear in front of my eyes.”
‘My mother said, ‘We need to have a talk.’ She placed me in a trance. She kept me close, controlling all my decisions in the name of ‘love.’: Narcissistic abuse survivor urges ‘you deserve to be safe and happy’
“She made me feel special, then she controlled what clothes I could wear, what friends I could have, where I went to college, and my wedding. She wanted to ‘show me off’ to her friends. But there was a huge price to be paid. She found any excuse to keep me with my vices if it meant keeping me close to her.”
‘Just get out of bed and work out.’ A darkness set over me. I was in the therapist’s office at 6 weeks pregnant.’: Woman shares reality of prenatal depression, ‘I hope women feel understood, not abandoned’
“Within a week of getting a positive pregnancy test, I could barely function. This darkness was scary and not something I had the tools to combat. It was like I was gone, and there was no magic solution to get me back.”
‘I begged my parents for help. I showed my mom my cut arms and nothing happened. I was in seventh grade.’: Woman dealing with self-harm, depression since childhood, is ‘hopeful’ for a time where ‘I don’t need medicine to help me anymore’
“I grabbed this object, one of those things used to scrap art or whatever it’s called, and I went crazy. I swore I’d never cut again, never try again. I’m sure you can imagine how that went”
