A Descent into Worsening Anxiety

Each time I have to step out of the house

Mika Oka
3 min readJun 17, 2024

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Seeing five different doctors in a month for various issues has totally drained me. The diagnoses themselves weren’t a surprise — I’d researched my condition and knew what to expect.

I just hope that I can live long enough to take care of my cats.

It was the phycological toll of having to go outside that feeds my anxiety. The pressure of being in around people especially in crowded and social interaction, all of which fuels my anxiety.

Photo by author

These past few weeks, I’ve had to take it easy. Even a simple task like taking out a few bags of garbage became a challenge. Just a few doors away from my apartment, a wave of dizziness washed over me as I tried to dispose of the trash.

The panic attacks were brutal in this period of time, one of the worst I’ve ever experienced. Anticipating doctor’s appointments triggers a wave of nerves and anxiety no matter how hard I try to tell myself it’s just another visit.

A proper sleep the night before is almost impossible for me. I often only manage to doze off an hour before the alarm.

The worst part is being struck by incredible nausea after coming home from some of the appointments. Bedridden and unable to do anything, this happened three…

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Mika Oka

Sharing her unique perspective on the world as a hearing-impaired autistic person with bipolar disorder despite the challenges. emikaoka.wordpress.com/home/