Anxiety clutches my heart in its grip;
The person standing in front of me is waiting, expectantly.
How do I continue this conversation?
My stomach clenches and I struggle to breathe,
Everyone is going to stare at me, laugh at me.
I can’t just walk into class late.
My vision wavers, my leg bounces,
I clench my fingernails into my palms, hoping to ground me.
I’m presenting next. I can’t do it.
Wisps of air fill me as my lungs constrict like a boa.
My mouth feels like the Sahara desert.
It’s like there’s a man in my head banging away with a hammer.
Both big and small things get to me:
Stores, presenting, being late, people,
Anything and everything terrifies me.
A snake wrapped around me,
Constantly relaxing and constricting.
Living with it is agony,
But I can’t run from it or escape it.
Anxiety is a snake
and it's got me in its grip.
For the suicide and crisis lifeline, dial 988.
— Live well and laugh often, Ravens. Signing off for now, Hyperactive Raven <3
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