"Overcoming my struggles with Generalised Anxiety Disorder"

I have been struggling with my mental health since 4th year of high school. It got worse whenever I arrived at university and found myself having frequent panic attacks and suicidal thoughts. Some of my fears centred around what others thought of me, if I was too stupid and had low self-esteem. Assignments such as essays were a big trigger for this where I felt trapped and doubtful of my capabilities.

On top of this, I have always struggled in social situations. Finding it hard to make and keep friends and masking my personality to fit in. Big crowds typically scare me.

I had started therapy back in November 2024 and was discharged in April 2025 whenever I got a new job that improved my confidence. However, while I thought I could handle things, a few months later, and my self-esteem and thoughts took a drastic dip again and I found myself going to dark places and feeling at some of my lowest.

I started CBT therapy back in June/July of 2025. During these sessions, my therapist was able to help me to confront my feelings and try different techniques to change my outlook on them in hopes of removing these thoughts from my head. Some helpful techniques included the 7/11 breathing technique, which I would then use to try and stifle any panic attacks. A very helpful technique was viewing my worries as “real” and “hypothetical”, enabling me to discern which worries deserved attention and which ones could be dealt with another time or be quickly resolved.

Overall, I have found going to CBT to be of great help to me and making living with GAD a lot easier to manage. My therapist was very lovely and understanding of my condition, capable of challenging me and redirecting me to techniques that apply to my needs.