I have suffered from anxiety for about six years, panic attacks can happen unexpectedly and anxiety can creep up on without warning. Going out became a chore and I found it more settling staying in and watching reruns of Breaking Bad and Scandal. You begin to feel trapped and the walls are gradually closing in on you. No matter how many counsellors I’ve sat with, books I have read or pep talks with my mum, every single panic attack throws me into a whirlwind believing death is approaching. Shopping online is a god-send; I don’t have to be surrounded by crowds of bewildered shoppers and screaming children. It can be a daily mundane task though which can throw me into a spin, there is nothing more embarrassing than your roommate finding you huddled over in your bedroom hyperventilating because you couldn’t open a shampoo bottle. Eventually, the panic attacks took over and I preferred to hibernate in my room inventing an array of excuses to not leave my house that day. After a few months of missed meetings and birthdays “I forgot” to attend, I decided to take charge. Of course, it wasn’t that easy, I was in my twenties though and knew that if I couldn’t stop this, it would stop me. Everyone reacts differently, I turned to exercising; swimming and running have helped me escape and I joined a few social clubs to get me started. Panic attacks and my social anxiety still crop up occasionally but I’m only ever a run away from focus and motivation for life again and right now, that is everything. Being a journalist, every Mental Health Awareness month I write about my story, friends and family have found it difficult to manage my anxiety spells but by talking about it more and more the taboo will dissolve and hopefully rather than turn to trainers or four walls others will understand the difficulty in dealing with anxiety and I why I began this article by saying suffer from anxiety.