I’ve been living with the same girl for almost two years. We always knew she had anxiety and depression issues but it was just never diagnosed. At random times, normally after talking to a family member or being pushed into an unfamiliar social setting, my roommate would slowly start to freak out. It would start with her eyes darting around, her attention running in circles always back to the topic bothering her, and she would physically start to shake. We learned to keep her away from certain things or certain people that would trigger extreme fear that sometimes in rare instances she would start hyperventilating. It would then develop into a full blown panic attack.

It astounded me that someone could feel the flight-or-fight response so intensely when it was uncalled for. There was no life or death situation, no man threatening to kill you, so why the exaggerated response? Why is your brain telling your body to react this manner?

I learned in my psych 100 class that anxiety doesn’t necessarily have to come an extreme threatening situation. It can come from any event or thought that makes you feel frustrated, angry, or nervous. It is a feeling of fear, unease, and worry. The source doesn’t always have to be known. It can be something general like everything causes you excessive worry and you cannot pinpoint the actual trigger.