Are we confusing anxiety with feeling anxious?

       

         Mental health has never been so important or so widely talked about as it is today. 

More and more of us seem to be succumbing to debilitating mental conditions. 


Recent studies have suggested that that’s largely down to our generation’s obsession with perfectionism and elevated expectations. 

We’re overly critical of ourselves while at the same time having to deal with ‘excessively high personal standards’. 

On top of that, we’ve got technology, loneliness, grim economic prospects and crummy housing options. Suffice to say, there’s cause to be anxious and depressed. 

As such, the Twittersphere is full of conversations about personal struggles with mental health. 

This is obviously a good thing – no one should have to suffer alone and those of us who grew up without much social media probably wish we had had access to the breadth of information and peer support now available 24/7.

But how much is too much? 

At times, it can feel like there’s a seemingly endless discussion around anxiety and depression going on; is it too far-fetched to suggest that that might have a sort of gaslighting effect on otherwise healthy people?

 Do you ever get it when someone tells you that they’ve got a headache coming on, or they’re feeling thirsty…and that planted thought manifests itself into you needing a drink or feeling a little tension yourself? 

Sometimes, reading over and over again about other peoples struggles can feel like that too. 

You only have to go on social media for a few minutes to see influencers or mates talking casually about how awful they feel. What was once a (damagingly) closed subject is now shouted about from the rooftops.

 ‘It’s definitely an issue people have to be aware of,’ says Gina, 26, who has been on medication for depression and anxiety since she was at school. 

‘There’s a huge difference between feeling anxious and suffering from anxiety. It’s so regular and common to let life’s stresses get you down but those stresses are often temporary and can be easily dealt with or rectified. 

‘Suffering from anxiety becomes an almost physical illness that can take a lifetime to deal with. 

Suffering from anxiety is an all-encompassing, debilitating illness that has the potential to destroy somebody if not managed well.

Perhaps if we’re to ensure everyone gets the help they deserve, we have to expect a sort of conversational free-for-all. Keeping quiet on the subject just doesn’t work.


METRO