What Is Anxiety?

According to the American Psychological Association (APA), anxiety is an emotional response characterized by worry, apprehension, and physical tension when someone anticipates a potential threat or challenge. Unlike fear, which is a response to an immediate danger, anxiety is usually focused on future uncertainties and perceived risks.

Some anxiety is normal and even beneficial. It helps us prepare for challenges, avoid danger, and make responsible decisions. However, when anxiety becomes excessive, persistent, or focused on unlikely threats, it can interfere with daily life, relationships, work, and overall well-being.

My Experience with Anxiety

For as long as I can remember, my mind has been skilled at imagining worst-case scenarios. Growing up, I worried constantly about my safety, my family’s safety, school, work, and countless other things.

Some examples stand out:

• Being afraid to swim in a lake because I had read that bull sharks could survive in freshwater.

• Being afraid to go upstairs to the bathroom unless someone went with me.

• Being afraid to be in the bathroom unless the shower curtain was open.

• Being too frightened to walk past a window at night.

• Spending entire weekends worrying about how a boss might react to a situation at work, even when I had done nothing wrong.

People have often told me, “Just don’t worry about it.” Unfortunately, anxiety doesn’t work that way. While many people can leave their worries behind when they go home, my mind often continues replaying them long after everyone else has moved on.

When Anxiety Stops Being Helpful

I believe anxiety originally serves a purpose. It helps us anticipate circumstances or danger and prepare for it. If rain is coming, we bring an umbrella. If a situation seems unsafe, we avoid it.

The problem arises when anxiety begins preparing us for dangers that are unlikely, irrational, or completely outside our control. Instead of protecting us, it traps us in endless cycles of worry and dread.

At its worst, anxiety becomes exhausting. It places a constant strain on the mind, body, and soul as we anticipate the next disaster that may never come.

Anxiety and Procrastination

One of the biggest ways anxiety has affected my life is through procrastination.

This blog is an example. I purchased a website and began preparing my first post along with outlines for other posts months before publishing anything. I continuously questioned whether people would care, whether sharing my experiences was wise, and how others might react.

The same pattern appears in my search for a new job. I want a different career, but every application brings uncertainty and every rejection increases my anxiety and frustration. Instead of pushing forward, I sometimes stop searching for weeks at a time.

Anxiety became an excuse to delay difficult things. While taking a short break can be healthy, repeatedly postponing important decisions can leave you stuck in place for months or years.

Finding Purpose Along the Way

Even during periods when I felt trapped, God still used me where I was.

Working in printing and shipping, I’ve helped people send documents needed for medical care, legal matters, and family situations. Many customers share their personal stories and struggles while I listen, and I am able to encourage them by sharing parts of my own experience.

Those interactions remind me that even difficult seasons can have purpose.

What Has Helped Me

Over the years, several things have helped me manage anxiety:

Communication

Communication has been one of the strongest defenses against anxiety in my life.

I am a verbal processor, and I talk through my challenges with my parents, counselors, doctors, pastors, friends, and mentors. Sharing what I am experiencing prevents me from carrying the burden alone and allows others to support me.

One concept that deeply impacted me is “terminal uniqueness,” the belief that no one else understands what I am going through. Anxiety often convinces us we’re alone, but that’s rarely true. There are others who understand, and reaching out to them can be life-changing.

Medication

Medication has been an important tool in my toolbox. While finding the right medication can involve trial and error, it helped reduce overwhelming anxiety, especially when I was younger.

Medication may not be the right choice for everyone, but I believe it should be discussed openly with qualified medical professionals rather than dismissed outright.

Counseling

Counseling provided me with practical tools to challenge anxious thoughts and break cycles of rumination. Having someone who would listen and help me process my fears made a tremendous difference.

Therapy taught me how to reframe situations, manage unhealthy thought patterns, and step back when anxiety began taking over.

The Importance of Faith

My faith has also played a central role in helping me address anxiety.

I understand that not everyone shares my beliefs, but for me, faith has provided hope during difficult times. It reminds me that I am not alone, that my struggles have meaning, that God cares about what concerns me, and that there is a purpose beyond what I can see in the moment.

Combined with family, communication, counseling, and treatment, faith gives me the strength to keep moving forward even when anxiety feels overwhelming.

Final Thoughts

Anxiety has been a significant part of my life for many years. While it has caused fear, procrastination, and exhaustion, it has also taught me the importance of communicating openly, seeking help, and relying on both faith and support from others.

If you’re struggling with anxiety, know this: You are not alone. Many others have walked the same path, and there is hope, help, and healing available.

Mom Responds

One of the hardest parts of our journey is the reality that I cannot remove the anxiety of my son. John’s anxiety started at around five (5), though we had a stable home, he was otherwise healthy, his needs were met, and we were engaged in our church. There is no way to express the overwhelming sadness of not being able to address the fears of your child. Children should be free of fear and anxiety. Most are. But it is so grief-filled when your child anticipates things that are not real and makes worse things that are real.

I remember a day when John was in our playroom with his brother. He was suddenly overwhelmed with anxiety… “Mom, somebody’s watching me.”

Honestly, as a mom in that moment, I did it all wrong. We had already been dealing with a variety of other things and I panicked at the idea of adding paranoia to it. I assured him that he was safe and no one was watching him. And then his dear younger brother, “out of the mouth of babes” said, “That’s right, Johnny, Jesus is watching you. Jesus is always watching you.” And I watched the tension drain from his face, and his peace restored. And I wept. This three-year-old spoke truth in a moment of panic for me. Jesus is always watching us. He is near. He is present. He sees our moments of overwhelming anxiety and He cares.

If you or a family member is struggling with anxiety, don’t keep it bottled inside. Share it with a parent, pastor, or friend.

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Share John

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Share John

I’m writing this blog to encourage people living with mental illness and learning disabilities, and to help family members better understand what it’s like to live with these experiences.

I’m not a mental health professional. I’m simply sharing my personal experiences in hopes that they help others feel understood, supported, and less alone.

About Me

My name is John, and I’ve lived with mental health challenges for most of my life. In this blog, I’ll share my lived experiences to hopefully help you navigate your own struggles—or to help you support someone you love who may be going through something similar.

Shortly after my 8^th birthday , I was diagnosed with early onset bipolar disorder. Growing up, this was my main diagnosis and what I believed was the root of my struggles. I experienced intense and rapid mood swings—from happiness to sadness, from deep depression to high anxiety—sometimes cycling daily. It wasn’t until I found the right medication that I was able to stabilize my moods.

Later, around the age of 11, I was diagnosed as “twice exceptional.” This diagnosis reflects both high intellectual ability and significant learning disabilities. In simple terms, I scored extremely high in IQ testing and verbal communication, but very low in written communication and processing speed—often described as being on opposite ends of a bell curve. There was a significant gap between how well I could think and speak versus how well I could communicate my knowledge in writing.

Finally, at the age of 15, I was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome. Asperger’s was considered a separate condition before the 2022 DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition), where it has since been folded into the broader diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

This diagnosis helped explain certain aspects of my life—like differences in social interaction, communication style, and the way I process the world.

Changes Over Time

As I got older my diagnosis shifted. I was no longer diagnosed with bipolar disorder, but instead with a mood disorder, which generally refers to conditions involving persistent depression and anxiety.

To this day, I still live with:

• A mood disorder

• Learning disabilities

• Autism Spectrum Disorder (formerly Asperger’s)

The good news is that my symptoms are not nearly as severe as they once were. I’m currently stable and no longer experience dramatic mood swings. However, I still deal with periods of depression and anxiety.

Even my learning disabilities have improved over time. I’ve worked hard to become better at writing and grammar, and when I struggle, I use tools like text-to-speech and other strategies to help overcome those challenges.

Why I Started This Blog

This blog is about sharing what I’ve learned so that others don’t have to figure everything out the hard way.

The way I see it is simple: Why burn your hand on a stove when someone else can warn you it’s hot?

Instead of struggling alone or endlessly searching for answers, my goal is to give you real, lived insight into what it’s like to manage these conditions—and what helps.

What You Can Expect

In this blog, I’ll talk about:

• How I’ve managed my mental health through faith, medication, and therapy

• What it was like growing up with these challenges

• Lessons I’ve learned along the way

• What helped me through depression, anxiety, and overwhelming moments

• How my parents supported me

I’ll also share a general timeline of my journey so you can see how things changed over time.

My Philosophy on Life

No matter how bad things feel, they can get better.

There will be moments when life feels like it’s getting worse—but that doesn’t mean it actually is. Healing takes time. Progress isn’t always linear. But if you keep going, you can reach a place where you feel stable, fulfilled, and at peace.

The Importance of Connection and Communication

One of the most important things I’ve learned is this:
You cannot go through this alone.

Connection and communication are essential.

Whether it’s a parent, friend, therapist, or mentor—you need someone you can talk to. Someone who understands or at least tries to. Without that connection, mental illness and hidden disabilities can feel isolating and overwhelming.

Finding someone to speak to can make the difference between surviving and truly living.

The Role of Faith

Faith played a huge role in my journey.

In my darkest moments—when anxiety and depression felt overwhelming—faith in God gave me strength to keep moving forward when nothing else could.

Learning to Advocate for Myself

As I grew older—through school, work, and living independently in college—I learned the importance of self-advocacy.

I had to learn how to explain:

• The nature of my disabilities

• How it affected me

• What I needed to succeed

Whether it was medication, therapy, or accommodations, I learned that if I couldn’t communicate my needs, I couldn’t receive the help I needed.

You Are Not Alone

Mental illness, Autism, and learning disabilities are more common than people think. Even if it feels like no one understands what you’re going through, you are not the only one.

Many people live with invisible struggles every day.

Final Thoughts

I sincerely hope this blog helps both individuals and families better understand what it’s like to live with mental illness, Autism, and learning disabilities.

My goal is simple: To share my experience in the hope that it helps you grow, overcome challenges, and succeed in your life.

Mom Responds

I am so pleased that John has decided to share his story with you. Our family has walked through much together over the last two decades and it has made us better people.

While this is John’s blog, I will sometimes add a few thoughts for the families out there who are walking with their loved ones through these challenges.

My main message for you today is to hang in there. In the beginning, it feels so overwhelming. You are trying to figure out what is going on and hearing so many messages from friends, family, and even the medical community.

We walked it out one day at a time. We took each challenge as it came and really sought to trust God’s love for our son and our family. We asked questions, read as much as we could, and prayed for God’s guidance. I will share more about that over time as this process unfolds.

We reminded ourselves that it was not an accident that God made us John’s parents. There were so many days when we felt inadequate to the task. But here we are over two decades later, still married and loving each other, with two amazing sons. We are truly grateful as we look back at each provision for each need.

God will be faithful to you just as He has been faithful to us. Hang on. Pray. Trust His love for you and your family.

Come back and read more. We will be here.