"I know some people who always tells me to 'calm down', to 'stay positive', and to 'keep your chin up'. Some people can easily process the advice without a problem and do a quick turn around. Others, like me, have a difficult time taking it in and applying it. When your mind races and nothing but negative thoughts come up, you have trouble noticing other events around you. Your ears turn out everything and all you can hear are echos of negativity and self doubt. Your eyes can't see the positive sides of things and you helplessly focus on the negative views of certain events. All your senses grow cold and fragile.

Those who don't understand anxieties and depression make it sound so easy for you to snap out of it and be happy. They expect you to switch like a turn of a dime. The way they tell you to basically "suck it up" has no ounce of empathy and concern. They don't help you at all. Some people can easily turn their head and act like nothing happened. They find the answer quickly. Others can't. It takes time. Its a battle between you and the negative thoughts taking over your mind. Some people start to become self-distructive, physically and/or mentally. Everyone asks why my large stuff bear Wozzle has so many rips and tares. He is my personal venting tool. He has suffered through so many of my depression and anxiety states that I'm surprised he is still in one piece ( mostly ). I can't bring myself to cause harm on my body. That small ounce of respect I have for myself and wellbeing reminds me that, even though that I'm depressed or suffering an anxiety attack, I should keep my body healthy and don't cause any physical damage to it. Remembering that, I reach for Wozzle and I find myself clawing and chewing on it, feeling the frustration/depression/evil thoughts and voices leave my body and go into him. After crying and clinging onto my beloved bear for a while, sometimes longer than other moments, I start to feel better and think more clearly.

Anxiety is a serious issue. Some people have mild anxiety attacks. Others have worse. Sometimes the trigger is something large or very small. It triggers that small area in your brain where you keep all the negative thoughts and emotions locked up. Once loose we start to battle with it and try to push it back into that mental cage. If we don't have the strength to push it back ourselves, thats when friends and personal comforting objects come into play. We all need someone to be there for us, to help us get out of our rut and see the light of joy again. If we don't have someone to fall upon, we must have a personal and safe comforting item within reach where we can just cradle and hold onto, vent our worries and depression into it, cleansing ourselves of negativity until we feel safe and relaxed. We must do this without hurting ourselves, both mentally and physically. We have to be strong. We must be strong. We are constantly at war with our fears and depression. Only by seeing the good in life, no matter what they are or where they are, we will win every battle.

I am PussyCat and I have anxiety issues. This is Wozzle Bear and he is my comforting item. You are my friends who will catch me when I fall."

- PussyCat ( PC )[/b]