Anxiety and Me: We go way back

I couldn’t let the month of May end without my “Mental Health Awareness” memo!

I’m an anxious person. Always have been, always will be. I overthink situations, I over analyze conversations, and I worry about things that most likely will never happen. 95% of people reading this probably feel the same way.. the other 5% are probably men. 🤪

When I was in second grade, I was in a car accident just one mile from my childhood home. A drunk driver hit us, and the crash was so intense that our car went airborne and slammed through an attached garage. My mom was hurt the worst—she broke two vertebrae and had a serious head laceration. I ended up with a broken ankle and bit through my tongue from the impact. My sister and her two friends who were also in the car, sustained minor physical  injuries. I don’t remember much from that night except waking up after being knocked unconscious and seeing my mom in a condition I’ll never forget. (I’ll omit the details)  The next thing I remember is being in the back of an ambulance. In the moments after the accident, anxiety decided to become my new invisible best friend. A therapist helped me navigate the new relationship for some time but the anxiety and fear of losing someone I love has never really gone away.

The drunk driver who hit us had a blood alcohol level of .275. No one stopped him from getting behind the wheel that October evening… he made a really bad decision that I’m sure haunts him to this day…  Please don’t drink and drive. If you are going to drink, give your keys to a friend and have a plan in place on how to get home. Getting behind the wheel while intoxicated isn’t just reckless—it’s selfish. Your choice could change someone else’s life forever- and that’s not your choice to make.

Anxiety doesn’t require a traumatic event to occur. But in my case,  I think it altered my DNA. My anxiety is not always loud - sometimes it hides quietly in the background. Other times it hits like a wave out of nowhere.  What I have come to realize is that anxiety doesn’t simply disappear - it shifts. It eases up, then returns and sometimes stops me in my tracks. It can make me feel overwhelmed or unexpectedly sad. And here’s the thing—I know I’ve been blessed with a beautiful life. I see the good. I’m grateful. But that doesn’t mean I’m immune to hard emotions. Does feeling this way make me ungrateful or weak?Absolutely not. It just makes me human.. We can hold gratitude and struggle at the same time. That’s not a contradiction—it’s real life.

Why am I telling you this? Because I want you to know that.. YOU are not alone. I’m right there with you.  We are not broken, we are not crazy and we are certainly not weak.

Mental Health is NOT talked about the way it should. It is something that is usually tucked away in secret spots that rarely is discussed or uncovered. Whether we like it or not a stigma still exists for those suffering from or seeking help for their mental health. Until the stigma goes away, people will continue to struggle in silence.

As women—and men—we need to feel safe speaking up when we’re struggling, without the fear of being seen as weak. It should be okay to say, “I’m not okay,” and to ask for help without shame or guilt. In doing so, we’re not just supporting ourselves—we’re setting an example. Our kids are watching. They’re learning how to cope by observing how we cope. When we speak openly about our struggles, we teach them that it’s okay to be vulnerable. Teenagers, especially boys, need to hear this loud and clear: talking about your feelings and asking for help is not weakness. It’s courage. It’s strength. And it’s something not everyone is brave enough to do.

If you or your child are in therapy, getting treatment for a mental health condition, or have simply had the courage to ask for help—please hear this:

I am so f*cking proud of you.

Taking that step isn’t easy. It takes real strength, self-awareness, and bravery. It means you care enough about yourself—or your loved one—to fight for healing. That matters. That’s powerful. And not everyone has the guts to do it.

If you need help but you're scared to ask, let this be your sign: do it. There are people out there—therapists, doctors, friends—who truly want to help you feel better. They’re waiting with open arms, not judgment. And maybe, just maybe, if more of us talked about how we really feel, we wouldn’t carry around quite so much worry. Sharing lightens the load and YOU don’t have to do this alone.

Always Be Kind - especially to yourself

With Love,

Molly