Author Archives: Kaitlin Willow

Here’s everything I’ve tried over the past few years to manage my anxiety and panic attacks: Breathing exercises. Yoga. Praying. Meditation. Running. Marijuana/CBD. Xanax. Antidepressants. Diet changes. No alcohol. Sleep. Fidget cubes. Thyroid tests. A new job. New roommates. Red wine. Magnesium. Stress gummies. Writing. Coloring. Mental health days. Tea instead of coffee. Aromatherapy. DeepContinue reading “On Anxiety & Emotional Support Animals”

I’ve always considered myself to be a fiction writer. I lived in my imagination as a kid (and yet, I was pragmatic to a fault at times; just ask my dad). Long before I’d experienced any real pain or suffering in life, I wrote “chapter books” about The Underground Railroad or young girls forced intoContinue reading “Nothing But Fiction”

My sister and I went to the midnight premiere of Magic Mike—a movie about male strippers. And let’s be honest: we didn’t go for the plot. I enjoyed seeing practically naked men shake what God (and some hard work at the gym, dieting, a spray tan, and maybe some steroids) gave them on a giantContinue reading “The Time I Thought About Dying”

Last week, I posted a blog about my struggle with anxiety. I wrote it in an effort to put my feelings into words, but I’m not entirely sure why I felt compelled to share it. Reasoning aside, I didn’t expect the response I’ve gotten so far. The comments and messages of support and well wishesContinue reading “Words Are Our Most Inexhaustible Source of Magic”

Anxiety and panic attacks are supposed to be obvious. You’re supposed to be hyperventilating, crying, unable to function. And sure, I’ve been there on some justifiable occasions—in the weeks following a bad car accident, after having my heart broken for the first time, in the car on the way to the emergency room when IContinue reading “Anxiety Doesn’t Make Me a Weirdo”