When you have struggled with various manifestations of anxiety for many years I think it can sometimes be hard to realise if what you are worrying about is normal worrying, or if it is getting into the realm of anxiety.

Everyone worries – or at least I think they do!  However, I believe that I worry more than most, but do I?  I certainly don’t worry about everything, but I have some things that seem to always set me off, and often it will be around health.  But then worrying about one’s health at times is normal isn’t it?  Noticing that funny looking mole would send a lot of us scurrying to the doctor I’m sure, so what makes me anxious and the other person just “normally” worried? 

I suppose it is about how long the anxiety lasts, are there physical manifestations that don’t go away such as sweating, nausia, dizziness etc.  Is the worry the first thing you think about in the morning and the last thing you think about at night?  Is your sleep affected?  Is there a sense of feeling overwhelmed and unable to cope?  Are you leaping to the obvious conclusion and planning your funeral?! 

Unfortunately there is no magic pill to make us never have to worry again.  When you have experienced severe anxiety however, the part that is the most scary is the actual physical and emotional manifestations of a nervous body feeling out of control.  A normal sense of worry can at times be overwhelming – but this does ease – it can be scary – but you see possibilities for hope, it can be all consuming – but time does pass, you might start to feel hopeless - but there is still an awareness of options.

So, I am on a journey of normalisation.  I want to experience the normality of worry, to realise it is ok to feel anxious, but that it doesn’t mean I am unwell, and that time will pass.