While Shivering In My Shoes

Today I’m going to continue my series of articles spreading the word about National Mental Illness Awareness Week. Yesterday, I talked about depression and invited you to join my "Walk This Way" campaign. There is nothing funny at all about depression, but you might get a chuckle or two out of this article.


Now we're going to talk about anxiety. Shivering in your shoes anxiety. One that no pose around in existence is going to convince anyone that you’re not afraid.

Anxiety disorders affect approximately 40 million adults in this country and are highly treatable, yet something like only 33% of people seek treatment for them. Many people mistake the physical symptoms of anxiety for something else and of course, there’s the worry about what people will think. (Who are these thinking people anyway? Pffffffft.)

It can be embarrassing to admit to someone that the sight of a cotton ball will send you swooning, weak in the knees nauseous and willing to risk life and/or limb to escape the sight of it. But, there you go, I just did it, so now you have no excuse. I know it seems amusing, but once, while going to Parent Teacher conferences at my kids’ school, I walked into a hallway where the kids’ latest art projects were being displayed. They had drawn eskimos and had outlined the hoods of the parkas in...cotton balls. Shiver me timbers, there was no striking a careless pose that time. I fled, screaming and when I told the teacher why I had to miss the conference, she laughed uncontrollably.

It is kinda funny, I guess. I know it’s silly, but I can’t help it. It’s a true, honest to goodness, phobia. And in case you were wondering, no I don’t like cotton candy or insulation, either.

Anxiety disorders are categorized as follows:

Generalized Anxiety Disorder which is characterized by excessive and unrealistic worry that lasts for a considerable length of time. Or, in my case, like 40 years ;)

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder which causes persistent, obsessive thoughts that often lead to its sufferers performing rituals or routines over and over.

Panic Disorder characterized by severe, well, attacks of panic. These need no explanation for anyone plagued by them. If you haven’t ever had one, be glad.

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder usually follows an extremely traumatic event, like a sexual assault, witnessing a murder, natural disaster or war. It doesn’t have to be these things, though, it just has to be traumatic to you. Being kissed on the lips by a Santa Claus with a beard made of cotton balls for me, was a traumatic event, but that one’s not included on any of the lists I’ve read. To each his own.

Social Anxiety Disorder is also known as social phobia and is characterized by an extreme fear of being judged by others or doing something that would cause you embarrassment.

Specific Phobias are an intense fear to a specific object or situation. Some, like heights, do seem to be more logical than perhaps my fear of cotton balls. There was a waitress on Maury Povich once who was afraid of lettuce. The sufferers of phobias realize that their fear is completely irrational, but have no control over the way their mind reacts to the object. This fear kept me out of pharmacy school. Seriously. How would I open the medicine bottles?

These disorders can cause a whole slew of physical symptoms that are sometimes mistaken for other illnesses. Anxiety disorders are highly treatable through different types of therapy like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, for example and the use of medications.



Anxiety and depression, more often than not, go hand in hand. Most people who have symptoms of one, will also have symptoms of the other. Anxiety disorders also seem to coexist with bipolar disorder, sleep disorders, eating disorders and alcohol and drug abuse.

So what’s a person to do if you have one of more of these anxiety disorders? See a therapist. Whether or not you require medication depending on the severity of your symptoms and the effect on your quality of life because of these disorders, the therapists can teach you some incredible relaxation and breathing techniques that can stop some of these things in their tracks with a little practice.

While you're waiting for your appointment, just be glad you’re not that waitress ;)

Related posts: Walk This Way, Rainy Days and Mondays