So I have been struggling with anxiety for most of my life but I really didn’t know I had anxiety until I had my first panic attack at the age of 14. I tried explaining to my parents many times that I struggle with anxiety but they don’t really understand and they think that I am fine in their eyes. They think I’m just creating problems in my head or doing it for attention. But they’re not the ones who wake up drenched in sweat at 3 am with a panic attack or get anxiety when you’re in a huge crowd of people (which is why I became a homebody) or struggle with overthinking and worrying about every small thing, etc. They think I’m strange and weird or crazy. Due to my anxiety I isolate myself from them and from everyone because they don’t seem to understand and because they don’t see how their words and actions can affect me. My fiancé is the one of the only people that actually understands my daily struggle and it’s trying his best to support me and be there for me as much as possible (and he also wishes they understood me as well). My parents are Hispanics and they’re very old school (if you’re Hispanic you know where I’m coming from) and they’re a bit sexist because I am a girl too. They’re excellent parents but they don’t really pay attention to my emotions or how I am feeling and they don’t really understand me. They try to force me to open up, but it just makes me so uncomfortable because it’s just the way they approach me, like a tag team. I really don’t have a close relationship with either anymore due to life, and because I’m getting older. I’ve tried getting close to them but they do so many things that make me not want to. But anyways I just want them to understand that my anxiety is real and I’m struggling and I just want them to be considerate and supportive. I hope you guys can understand.

Thank you,

Leannie (Lele) 🌷