Christie O.

This is what anxiety looks like

This is what anxiety looks like.

Well, part of it.

Each little leaf represents a concentrated amount of time, panic, worry, sadness, fear, debilitating inner chaos, all wrapped up in one little shape. Each stroke of the marker, each breath in and out, each minute of focus and mindfulness channeling one of the many faces of anxiety that combine in a mental pot of thought chaos.

I never understood anxiety and what it could do to someone until I saw it for myself. The complete inability to function. The plunge into darkness and sadness and the rabbit hole it could lead to. The feeling of being wholely and fully misunderstood, because to many, you are.

If you are debilitated by anxiety, depression, and the anger and sadness that it comes with, or you are the parent or loved one of someone who is walking that path right now, you are not alone, I promise you.

The beauty of this flower is that I see healing and wholeness now too. And though it took a long time to get here, it is progress. It is forward motion. To many, it’s just a flower from a coloring book. For me, it’s comfort.

A day completed. A glimpse of happiness.

I imagine what if all those feelings and each marker stroke that completed the flower was instead released as chaotic painful energy spent in the world.

Instead, it lives here.

In this beautiful flower. On this day.

One day at a time. ❤️

If you are experiencing anxiety and need immediate help, you can text MHA to 741741 from anywhere in the U.S. You are not alone. More about the Crisis Text Line here. Follow the social feeds of the Crisis Text Line here.

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