This is anxiety, I am just me

This is anxiety, I am just me

Because of anxiety,

A tightness lingers in my chest.

A soft, persistent ache that grips my mind.

Thoughts race like shadows, unkind,

Yearning to breathe, but I feel so pressed.

I want to step out, to greet the day bright,

Yet the door looms heavy, a barrier of dread.

What if I falter, what if I’m misled?

A battle within, waged in silence and night.

The phone rests quietly, calling my name,

But hands are trembling, glued to my side.

I want to reach out, to bridge this divide,

Yet fear wraps around me, stifling the flame.

A meal sits untouched, the fridge’s glow dim.

The thought of a taste feels like climbing a hill.

Each bite an endeavor, a mountain to fill,

Yet I linger in shadows, where I can’t begin.

Outside, the sun beckons, the world feels alive,

But my heart pulls me inward, away from the cheer.

Neighbors laugh sweetly, and I wish to draw near,

But comfort in corners is where I survive.

In the bed, a cocoon that whispers of peace,

Yet the mind races wild, a storm of shame.

I crave to feel better, to break from this frame,

But in this stillness, the noise doesn’t cease.

I imagine connection, the warmth of embrace,

But doubt stands as sentinel, blocking my way.

Longing to join in, to laugh and to play,

Yet each step feels heavy, wrapped up in space.

Yet here I remain, in this fragile shell,

Searching for moments where courage might bloom.

To face the outside, to step from the gloom,

To find that in this struggle, I'm not alone in this hell.

A world of anxiety is different, you see.

I'm not the same as you; because of anxiety, I am just me.