I have anxiety. I might as well get that out there so that you know this isn’t some self-righteous bullshit from a guy who’s never actually gone through these struggles. Little bit of background, I first noticed my anxiety in school which seemed to always come around at the start of the year. The transition from one year to another, new classrooms and new people in my classes would contribute to an uneasy feeling which at the end of the day was simply me coming out of my comfort zone.

Fast forward to the first lockdown, now for me this was hell. I am someone who loves to be around people 24/7 and like to keep busy but for this to suddenly become the complete opposite where I couldn’t see friends and family, had no real direction with what was going to happen with my A-levels and then being told I could only leave the house once a day to simply exercise really had an impact on my mental health.

I began to overthink everything; I became anxious about small things which in reality didn’t mean shit. I shut off most of my friends and became isolated to the point where I only relied on my immediate family for support. I was lucky that I had a strong and loving family to get me through those hard times but I understand this is not the case for everyone, which is another reason why these blogs could be helpful! Now a final fast forward to the present me, I’m a second year university student, happier than ever and surrounded by people I love and care for.

I’m going to be straight with you, there is NO EASY FIX to overcome these kind of things. They can take a long time and for me this was by far my biggest fear and the hardest hurdle to get over. But with the right support and effective mechanisms put in place, anxiety has no chance against YOU. For me, hiding my anxiety from the majority of people around me was just another sign that it still had a hold on me, so here I am telling the world something that I thought I never would. Believe me when I say I’m sat here absolutely bricking it thinking whether this is the best idea but at the end of the day, if being transparent about my problems can allow me to help another, then in my eyes it’s a small price to pay for someone else’s happiness.

So I am here shouting from the end of the tunnel, telling you that it will get better! Yes I still have bad days but the techniques I use on a daily basis have really made my life a whole lot easier. Tune in next week where I’ll be giving you FIVE vital lessons and techniques I learnt to overcome my anxiety, so if you suffer yourself or know someone who does then these tips might just be helpful.