Poems About Living Life With Anxiety
Published: March 2019
The struggle with anxiety can be raw, scary, and debilitating. These poems about anxiety give a glimpse into the difficult struggle.
As you read through these poems, you will be taken through the often overwhelming feelings associated with anxiety. From feelings of desand uncertainty to the search for release and understanding, these poems provide a window into the personal experiences of those who have struggled with anxiety. We hope that by reading these poems, you will feel less alone in your own struggles and find comfort and solace in the words of others who are facing similar challenges.
21 Anxiety Poems - Poems About Struggling With Anxiety
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1. Silent Screams
Can't you hear my silent screams?
They are so loud they echo in my dreams.
Behind this face that carries a smile
Lies a dark road that goes on mile after mile.
My silent screams have been going on for years,
But it always falls on so many deaf ears.
How can they hear these silent screams in my mind?
They can't hear my thoughts if I keep telling them I'm fine.
What can I tell them? These silent screams carry no words.
It's just feelings of sadness and darkness that come in its herds.
How can I explain so people understand this?
It's like walking around in a suffocating black mist.
It's holding on to happiness like holding water in your hands.
It just trickles between your fingers and disappears into the sands.
I can't explain how this feels; it's so extreme,
So I hold my mouth shut to cover my silent screams.
Featured Shared StoryAs long as you still have family and friends. I once did, long ago, until they all got tired of my depression, my anxiety, my "moods" when I couldn't motivate myself to leave my home and join...
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2. The Monster
Dear Anxiety,
When they ask me what I am afraid of,
I lie.
I can never expose you,
never tell the truth about you
for fear of speaking you into existence.
You are my punisher and my captor,
my tormentor, my torturer.
You are the little voice inside of my head
telling me bad, bad things to do to myself,
things I can't talk about
for fear I'll forget who I am and turn into you.
You tell me we are one and the same, but I am not you.
I would never hurt a child the way you have hurt me.
I would never tell a young girl she is unlovable,
or fat,
or ugly,
or crazy,
or worthless.
I would never tell her to carve ugly, terrible words into her body,
to hold a flame to her skin,
until she has burned herself so badly that the pain goes out like a light
and her nerves are dead,
just like she should be.
I don't know why I listen to you
when you force me to my knees in front of the toilet.
When you send me running around the house in a panic,
searching in vain for a pencil sharpener I haven't already dismantled.
When you tell me the closest to love
I will ever come is sending naked pictures of myself
to disgusting hunters of young prey.
But I am not afraid of them.
I am afraid of the shadows of my mind
of the twisted and warped reality I am living in.
And I scream, because it is all in my head.
I scream because none of it is real.
I scream because you are clawing your way up my throat,
stealing my voice, gouging out my eyes, eating away at the lining of my stomach,
turning my bones to jello and my hair to dust,
destroying, destroying, destroying, destroying, destroying, destroying.
ENOUGH.
I have had ENOUGH. I am not you.
I never was.
I never will be.
This is only a body, and you are only a feeling, and I will rise above.
I am above this, above you, above my thoughts, above it all.
And I will survive.
And I will love me.
And I will not let go.
Sincerely,
OliviaFeatured Shared StoryI am a person with worry, fear, doubt, and with grace. I worry for those who will be hurt by me, those who will be disappointed in me, those who will care for me but leave me, and those who I...
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3. Mysterious Pain
With her head hung low
and nowhere to go,
she can't explain
this mysterious pain.
It comes on so fast.
How long will it last?
Her heart is just pounding; her head starts to spin.
Please go away; she does not want you in.
She's uncontrollably crying.
It feels like she's dying.
Her body is trembling; her hands start to shake.
She feels so helpless with this horrible ache.
Someone, please help her; make this go away.
She can't stand to feel this way one more day.
Someone, please help her; she's down on her knees.
She's scared and helpless and hopes no one sees.
With her head hung low,
not knowing where to go,
she tries to explain
this mysterious pain.Featured Shared StoryNo one understands what I am suffering from. My new doctor has decided I am taking a far too dangerous drug, so he is weaning me off. I must suffer again for the length of this weaning...
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4. Signed, Your Mind
Get dressed, love.
You're going to be late.
You look at yourself in the mirror,
The one you really hate.
Put it down, love.
It's caused you so much pain.
You're going to do damage.
You don't want to be called insane.
Stand up, love.
Your tears make you weak.
Wipe off that black mascara,
Proof of sadness upon your cheek.
Take your pills, love.
You must try your very best.
Forget about your dizzy spells,
The tightening in your chest.
Chin up, love.
No one can know your thoughts.
You must act like you're happy
While your heart just sits and rots.
Smile a little, love.
Let me see those pearly whites.
No one has to know
What you thought about all those nights.
Breathe for me, love.
Your pain won't be forever.
Take my hand, and I'll take yours.
We'll get through this together.Featured Shared StoryI'm a 15-year-old female who was diagnosed with general anxiety disorder and severe depression two years ago. I love the way this poem expresses how I feel almost every day. It's hard to get...
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5. Darkness
in Dark Poems
No moon tonight
Darkness creeps in
Into my soul
Into my heart
Wondering, wondering
Can't stop pondering
This morose condition
Tearing me apart
No moon tonight
Angst grows nigh
Tearing me down
Building a wall
Hammering, Hammering
Voices are murmuring
No one to catch me
and I'm gonna fall
No moon tonight
South grows quiet
There's no breeze
No rustling leaves
Pounding, Pounding
Insecurities hounding
Who will bare witness
as sanity flees
No moon tonight
Darkness creeps in
Into my thoughts
Into my head
Taking, taking
pill to stop shaking
so that I may crawl
into a restless bedFeatured Shared StoryNo Stories yet, You can be the first!
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6. Breathe
Panic, worry, darkness closing in around me.
These are some of the words I could use to describe my anxiety,
but nothing I can say could speak of its entirety,
as I cry internally thinking I've lost my sanity.
Doctors, counselors, saying there's something wrong with me.
My parents telling me to calm down and stop being so crazy.
But how can I calm down when the world around me
is spinning out of control and I can barely see?
Breathe. You will get through this.
You will get through the sleepless nights,
all the internal fights,
and the days that seem right
when the world hits you with all its might.
Breathe. You will get through this.
I know you think I'm overreacting about the silliest little things,
but to me those silly little things seem like the doom the world could bring.
Can't you see, a spilled glass of milk to you can seems like an earthquake to me.
I know it might be hard to understand my anxiety,
but I hope today I have given you some clarity.
So the next time someone is scared and feels like they can't breathe,
shaking and crying, unable to see,
don't tell them they're overreacting; don't call them crazy.
Help them realize there is more to life than this misery,
and no matter the doubt inside, they will be who they are meant to be.
Breathe. I will get through this.
Because I know I am more than just my anxiety,
and one day I hope to be free of it entirely.
But until then, I will keep telling myself, quietly,
I am stronger than this. I am stronger than my anxiety.Featured Shared StoryI completely understand you. Whenever I go to the doctor, they say nothing's wrong. But the truth is, it feels like everything is wrong. And it hurts so much, anxiety.
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7. Struggling To Breathe
I'm feeling so scared,
I can't breathe but I must.
Thinking so many thoughts,
Trying so hard to trust.
These fears are irrational,
But I can't make them stop.
I just wish that they'd leave,
That my heart rate would drop.
I can't catch my breath,
My heart's running a race,
Against my emotions,
Struggling to keep pace.
I struggle to breathe,
But each sound makes it worse.
My world seems so dark,
I'm trying to reverse.
Away from the triggers,
Away from the pain,
All my muscles are tense,
Why can't it be explained?
There is no good reason,
But I can't press pause.
I don't think this is normal,
I can't find the cause.
God, I need you,
I can't live on my own
You're the only one who knows
Where my fears are sewn.
Why do they come?
What's the cause of this pain?
I want to let go,
But I can't just the same.
I try to calm down,
But my fears just won't quit.
I can't find air to breathe.
I'm stuck in this pit.Featured Shared StoryI'm almost 58 & feel this way daily! I have severe PTSD from a life of every kind of abuse you can think of & many you can't. Have had chronic pain since 1998 (24/7!), Fibromyalgia, severe...
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8. Where Am I?
Is there anyone there
to help me see,
help me remember,
remember to be me?
For I feel like now
I am someone else,
and I need some help
to find myself.
Sometimes my thoughts
might drift away
with the empty look
I may portray.
You think I'm doing nothing,
but I'm doing my best
to put my busy mind
to rest.
Always so tired
trying to find the strength
and keeping my loved ones
at arm's-length.
Never wanting
my family to see
that a once happy woman
has turned into me.Featured Shared StoryI am 13 years old and I have anxiety and depression. Being a teenage girl is scary enough. Imagine sitting in bed every night rethinking your whole life and worrying about things that don't...
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9. My Repossessed Hope
Gasping for air
I cling, I cling
to whatever's left
to anything
Walls closing in
room spins, room spins
Getting so dizzy
this ride needs to end
Fist hammers down
the pain, the pain
Sunshine is gone
There's nothing but rain
Fall to my knees
I cave, I cave
Tide swept me up
now I'm lost in the waves
Too tired to fight
Can't cope, can't cope
No way to regain
my repossessed hopeFeatured Shared StoryNo Stories yet, You can be the first!
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10. Paranoia
in Fear Poems
I know you're there.
Lurking in the darkness of the night,
Cowering in the shadows, avoiding the light,
Crouched behind the curtain or hid beneath the bed,
Awaiting the chance to dive into my head.
I know you're there.
With your bloodshot eyes glowing, never showing,
Watching me with a hunger, all the while knowing
I fear you most when the daylight's gone,
With seemingly endless hours til morning's dawn.
I know you're there.
With your black heart pounding in your leathery chest,
Knowing too well I'll get no rest
As you prowl my room like a ghostly haunt,
I know it's my soul that you need and want.
I know you're there,
You demon from Hell. I know you can tell
My fears are growing and beginning to swell
Like a ticking time bomb about to explode.
You sit patiently with your evils to unload.
I know you're there.
You pitiless beast, ready to feed
On my every thought, on my every deed
I can feel you staring, glaring, carrying out your scheme
To enter my mind through an open dream.
I know you're there.
No noise you make as you devise a plan for my soul to take
Back to the land of the living dead before I awake.
I won't sleep, I won't close an eye
As soon as I do I know I'll die.
I know you're there.Featured Shared StoryNo Stories yet, You can be the first!
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11. Dad
I know you may not think so,
But I'm trying really hard.
I don't do it on purpose.
I did not pick this card.
I'm trying my very best
To get this hurtle jumped,
But no one else is there
To help me out of this slump.
I don't know what you want from me.
Give me a hint or clue.
Please give me a sign.
I don't know what to do.
If you only knew
How much I struggle in this war,
Maybe you would be there
To pick me up off the floor.
It's time to stop pretending,
Time to open up your eyes,
To give me a hand
Instead of looks and sighs.
It's not that I don't love you,
And it's not that I don't care.
The fact is I need help too;
I need somebody there.Featured Shared StoryI read this, and it touched my heart. I was labeled with many things from childhood through adulthood. I struggled greatly at home, in school, and in life. I cried as I read this poem. I...
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12. The Night Is The Hardest
Feelings of unrelenting sorrow and fear wash over me like a wave crashing on a shore,
Painful nostalgia for younger days and panic for the ones to come,
Reminiscing on days and feelings I can never get back,
Needing to feel close to someone to pull me back from this ledge,
Overwhelming anxiety and fear.
The moon and the stars do not provide enough light for this darkness in my mind.
Hope drains from my soul.
I can remember good times and laughter, but this makes it worse.
I can see these times, but I cannot touch them.
I am running for a light even though I cannot yet see one.
The night is the hardest.Featured Shared StoryNo Stories yet, You can be the first!
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13. Panic
One thousands beats per second
It hammers ‘gainst my chest
I feel it in my temples
Tonight there’ll be no rest
Tortured is the breathing
Fast and shallow til it’s gone
Air that’s so elusive
In this fight to fill my lungs
A mind out of control
Thoughts will not be still
People think I’m crazy
Illusions can be real
Floating round in vertigo
Raw throat can’t make a sound
Get me off this ride!
The world keeps spinning round
Tiny little tremors
Turn to quakes beneath my skin
Every limb is shaking
It seems there’ll be no end
Then here comes the thoughts
Oh, the thoughts are just a beast!
Tumors, cancer, heart-attack
On lies this mind will feast
It’s when every little ache
And every little pain
Is blown out of proportion
Courtesy of my brain
I crawl into my shell awhile
Until this horror ends
Until the monster lets me go…
In panic’s grip againFeatured Shared StoryNo Stories yet, You can be the first!
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14. Panic Disorder
Tightness in my chest.
I can't breathe.
The only time I can escape
is when I fall asleep.
Constant nausea,
constant fear.
How did this happen,
knowing I'm safe here?
It's a constant worry
another will strike.
I worry about it all the time.
It makes me lose my appetite.
My sight darkens,
my life flashes.
My worries control my thoughts,
my heart crashes and burns to ashes.
You have no idea what it's like
to live one day in my shoes.
Maybe if you did,
you wouldn't judge me as you do.Featured Shared StoryI am 13 years old, but I've gone through so much, well I believe I have at least. All my life I've grown up with harsh punishments, including intense beatings using belts, bamboo, and my...
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15. Another Trigger
A storm is coming, my chest is tightening and it's hard to breathe.
Like a giant noose, life is smothering me.
I would do anything to not feel this pain.
Make it stop, I want to laugh again.
The thought of being scared is so frightening.
Another trigger, it's happening again; is everyone watching?
Everything matters, nothing matters, my life will be ruined again.
Paralyzed, afraid to move, the walls are closing in.
Everyone has disappeared, they think I don't care.
Truth is I don't want to be alone; I am so scared.
Please be patient, I know I can be withdrawn.
I need all of you more than ever; I'm not really gone.
Grab my hand, I can feel the ground; please don't let go.
Having you with me helps more than you will ever know.
Let me talk, let me be silent, listen either way.
Thank you for understanding; I think I can make it another dayFeatured Shared StoryNo Stories yet, You can be the first!
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16. Anxiety
Anxiety,
I'm miserable because of you,
making plans and not following through.
You have me feeling as though I am alone.
I don't feel safe unless I'm at home.
I see a stranger on the street,
want to say hi but too scared to speak.
What are they staring at?
Something must be wrong...
Is there a stain on my shirt?
Is my nose too long?
I'm shaking, find an exit, I must retreat!
Here they come! Here they come!
Quick, I must flee!
People keep telling me that I am fine
but I am not,
not in my mind.
A lump in my throat makes it so hard to swallow.
Pains in my chest consume me with sorrow.
I lay awake, restless, hoping maybe,
just maybe this will all be gone
tomorrow.Featured Shared StoryI actually struggle with minor social anxiety and this really is how it is. I have scars on my arm from where I scratched it off in a panic attack about people looking at me. To be honest,...
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17. Worry Is The Game
I sit here and feel so alone.
Things in my mind broken.
Home doesn't feel like home.
The thoughts creep in,
The symptoms come too.
When this happens,
I don't know what to do.
My heart races,
I feel so strange.
Anxiety is the word.
Worry is the game.
Life seems so unfair.
People places and things
Seem like they're not there.
I feel unreal,
I feel so alone.
Fear is my enemy,
The enemy is the unknown.
My life was perfect,
Just a simple girl.
Things got changed.
I entered the worry world.
I can't sleep.
Sometimes I wanna die.
I look around the room.
I find a place to cry.
Trapped in my mind,
Nowhere to go.
Worry is in there.
It took the show.
Love is no longer an essence.
Money doesn't matter.
Sometimes all I want to do
Is just jump and splatter.
Why does this happen to me?
Guess I'll never know.
I pray for help.
I pray for somewhere to go.
I want it to stop,
Go to someone else.
Sacrificing life,
Trying not to dwell.Featured Shared StoryThis hit deeply. I suffer from so many mental health problems. I seem to be declining now. I'm lower than I have ever been. This poem put it in perspective and words I can't figure out that I...
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18. The Fire
The fire that rages
from within my rib cage is
weakening the bones
that should make me strong.
The feeling creeps for every dark place.
It fills up my head; it's invading my space.
It's melting me from inside; I think I'm burning up.
I can't breathe or move or talk. I'm hopelessly stuck.
As people pass by, they give no second glance.
I cry out for help; this is my chance.
The fire claws at my throat; it's burning my tongue.
I think it's too late for help; the damage is done.
I down some water, which brings calmness and peace.
The fire has settled for a minute, at least.
Eventually it's burning as hot as before.
The fire rages back up from my very core.
The fire inside is one you can't see.
The fire inside, it's my anxiety.Featured Shared StoryNo Stories yet, You can be the first!
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19. Take A Step Back
Take a step back,
Learn how to breathe.
Take a step back
And just be.
Observe in silence.
Take things in.
Despite what's goes on,
Trust what's within.Featured Shared StoryThis was a beautiful poem about taking control. I deeply enjoyed this, especially because at the moment, I am going under quite a large amount of stress. There is a huge exam that includes...
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20. Music Of Wakefulness
It is in the dark of night
When insomnia sings me awake
To the tune of lullabies
And the rhythm of mindful blight.
It is the spotlight of the watchful moon
And the flickering of uncertain stars
That cradle my fears
And anxious thoughts they croon.
It is in the view of the sunshine,
Where my unwanted thoughts stem,
Waiting and ripening in my head
Until around my throat they twine.
And echoing in my mind
Is the blissful song of insomnia,
Sewing itself into my skin
As daylight leaves me behind.Featured Shared StoryI love the intimacy between the poet and these "hindrances." The relationship between nature, insomnia and anxiety around the poet at first is inviting, and calming. It isn't until daylight,...
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