One of the many things I have noticed with working with anxiety (and experiencing) is not just how awful it can feel. But it is how many people don’t see the price you’re paying while you’re living with it. They see you go to work. They see you turn up to family events. They see you getting on with life. What they don’t see is the mental effort it took to get there and be able to actually do those things. They don’t see the hours you spent worrying before leaving the house. The conversation you may have rehearsed over ten times. The symptoms you have monitored all day to make sure you feel safe enough to go. The opportunities you may have talked yourself out of. The sleep you have lost. Worrying, preparing. The holidays, hobbies, relationships, and experiences that have quietly become smaller because anxiety was taking up so much space and so much of your time. And perhaps one of the biggest hidden costs that nobody may really see is… The version of yourself you are convinced you could be IF anxiety was not constantly demanding your attention, your time. Anxiety doesn’t just affect how you feel. It can affect how you live DAILY. HOURLY. So I am curious what your thoughts are? What’s been the biggest hidden cost of anxiety in your life that other people may have not realised?
