Understanding Anxiety: My Personal Journey with Mental Health

Facing the Night with Anxiety

Time for bed. Also, time for another round of terrifying thoughts. Things were getting incredibly difficult for me. The desire to make it through the night and see another day consumed my mind. But here I go. Laying down, lights off, snug in the covers, and my mind racing out of control.

It all begins with the chest pains. A constant pain feels like it is deep in my chest cavity. What would you do? I focused on the feeling, waiting for the pressure to build, along with pain radiating down my left shoulder. I was convinced I was having a heart attack.

Next, the heart palpitations would come. I felt them clearly; they were definitely there. It was more assurance that I was in the grips of a heart attack. The anxiety grew stronger.

Then the brain zaps would hit. A quick feeling in my head, hard to describe. It felt like a jolt of electricity fleeting through my mind. I would start to panic even more.

The Worst: Air Hunger

Finally, the worst symptom of all would hit: air hunger. This was the icing on the cake. You know that feeling when you take a deep breath, and your entire body just relaxes? Well, I could not achieve that. I would try and try to take a deep breath but just could not do it. Even trying to yawn seemed impossible. Desperation would set in.

In those moments, I would sit up and grab my trusty old phone. Surely it would provide some reassurance that everything was okay. Google offered an overwhelming amount of information based on my symptoms. Most of the time, it would tell me these were classic symptoms of anxiety, so I shouldn’t worry. Anxiety? What was I anxious about?

This couldn't be it, so I searched for another explanation. Again, anxiety. Nope, try again. I lost count of the number of times I’d gone through this same anxious routine on different nights.

Seeking Help

I even visited a doctor who performed an ECG to calm my racing thoughts. The results came back normal, so I must be fine, right? Not according to my brain.

These truly are terrifying symptoms of anxiety. It was not until I decided to consult a therapist that my symptoms began to lessen. Slowly, I started to feel better but not completely. The next step was to try medication to further ease the anxiety. Finally, after a week or so, I began to feel much better.

Bringing Awareness to Mental Health

Why am I writing this, you ask? No, it is not for sympathy. My hope is that someone out there reads this and thinks, "Wait a minute, that is exactly how I feel." My goal is to bring a sense of peace to anyone experiencing similar symptoms. I simply want to shine a light on topics of anxiety and depression—issues that many feel too ashamed to discuss.

That is why my wife and I started a company called Awareness Attire. We thoughtfully create T-shirts and other apparel to open conversations. We offer clothing that can be worn to show support for others struggling with mental health.

Creating a Community for Support

We are also building a community—a safe space for people to share their feelings and feel validated. We held our first in-person event two weeks ago, and I was blown away by the conversations happening in our tent. Many people opened up about their journeys, ranging from a lack of support to discussions about ECT treatments.

We quickly became more than a company that sells T-shirts online. We were fostering a community of support. Our mission is to bring awareness to all types of mental health issues. We hope that at least one person reads this and finds support while navigating their own struggles. It’s crucial to realize that you are not alone in your journey, and it’s okay to ask for help.

If you have a moment, please visit us at www.awarenessattire.net. You can also find us on Facebook and Instagram. Please give us a like and a share if you can. Growing our reach allows us to help as many people as possible.

Thank you for reading,

Brett