Ever feel like you have to be in control of every aspect of your life all day every day, and when you're not, it's like the world's crumbling around you?
Trying to live up to all the expectations placed on women is pretty much an impossible way to live, yet so many of us strive to achieve it. Why? It's a symptom of living in an unequal world where men have a leg up in their careers simply because of their gender.
Along with (and perhaps partially as a result of) this pressure to be so many things at once, women are twice as likely to experience an anxiety disorder between puberty and age 50.
Illustrator Julia Scheele is all too familiar with the uphill battle of trying to do it all. So she turned the experience into a comic as a way of coping and to help other women realize they're not alone.
It's her own personal story, so the struggle is real — filled with lots of ups and downs — and ends with a lesson for anyone who's ever been up against the racing thoughts that accompany anxiety.
All comics by Julia Scheele/Tumblr, used with permission.
We all feel the pressure to be perfect sometimes, but actually being perfect is impossible. Perhaps it's time to take that off our proverbial to-do lists.
The first step to being comfortable with ourselves, flaws and all, at any given moment, is opening up about our fears and anxieties and letting each other know that we're not alone. Of course, it's not always easy, but as is evident from Scheele's journey, it can make a huge difference.
There's no one way to cope with anxiety, but connecting with people and trying to make sense of it is a great way to start.