Personal Narrative: My Personal Experience With Anxiety Disorder

One of my close friends, though animated and joyful on the outside, experiences severe anxiety and depression. One Friday afternoon, while accompanying me on my regular trip to the gym, I observed that he was acting slightly out of character. He seemed preoccupied and distracted by an internal conflict. I asked him what was wrong, and he opened up to me. By simply asking what was wrong, I learned that in the past summer he abstained from eating for a week because he had been separated from his girlfriend. I also learned that he no longer speaks to his mother, his family is hardly making the rent, and that he struggles with depression. I hadn’t asked him what was wrong simply because it was courteous, but because I saw myself in him that night. I endured significant mental hardships, though during these times I expressed little of my emotions to those around me. I have developed a sense of empathy and understanding through my past experience with an anxiety disorder. …show more content…
Throughout middle school and the first few years of high school, my condition interfered with relationships, day-to-day tasks, academic success, and additional facets of my life. My recognition of these challenges in regular therapy sessions helped me understand my emotions. When experiencing the magnitude of my therapists effect on me, it piqued my interest in a career of psychology. My anxiety has granted me the ability to empathize, and understand people on a deeper level. When I notice someone enduring mental hardships, I find it easy to place myself in his or her shoes. Ironically, this ability, in the grand scheme of things, is worth the sacrifices and challenges I have