Hi, I am so shocked right now. 

I am 19 and I have struggled with overwhelming anxiety for several years. It progressed to a point where 5 minute walks would drum up extreme nervousness for me. I missed out on many opportunities people my age would have had already - going on holiday alone, getting a drivers license, going to a club, the list goes on. 

A few days ago, I made the decision to see a loved one who lived two hours away on a whim. I spent an hour and thirty minutes compiling a plan of how to get there, a list of what I need and a list of what to do if my anxiety spirals out of control. I was sweating and shaking just at the mere thought of travelling two hours away.

Today, I woke up. My friend, who lives in a different time zone, kindly offered to wake up at 5am their time to call me throughout my journey. We called throughout my three train rides and my one bus ride. This helped me tremendously. 

What I didn’t expect was the kindness from others. I expected the areas in which I travelled to to be full of solemn faces rushing to work, but this wasn’t the case. Strangers made conversation with me, they answered my questions, the employee have two train rides free, a woman on the bus told me my stop and a man even gave me his jacket to keep when he saw me shaking outside. 

I arrived safely. I truly think an angel was on my side today!