This Stunning Photo Series Shows What It’s Like To Live With Anxiety

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Whether it’s generalized anxiety, agoraphobia, or panic attacks, anxiety is one of the most common mental health disorders in Ireland, with an estimated one in nine people suffering a primary anxiety attack in their lifetime.

American photographer Katie Crawford wanted to show the reality of living with an anxiety disorder, and so created a 12-pic photo series entitled “My Anxious Heart” to portray her physical struggle to breathe and the sometimes overwhelming presence of anxiety.

I had to express visually what was happening mentally.

In an interview with Refinery29 Katie, who’s suffered from anxiety from age 11 explains, “Trying to explain a mental illness to someone who’s never experienced it is like trying to explain color to a blind person…I had to express visually what was happening mentally.”

There’s a misconception that anxious people are antisocial, short-fused, or overdramatic,” she continues. “But, they’re most likely processing everything around them so intensely that they can’t handle a lot of questions, people, or heavy information all at once.”

For more info visit our post on managing anxiety here.

Pic credits: Katie Crawford

• Anxiety
• health
• Katie Crawford