8 Photos That Perfectly Describe What It’s Like To Suffer From Anxiety

Jasmine Blanchard didn’t know what was wrong when she was 15. She’d have a panic attack when she was around large groups of people and would internalize it because she didn’t understand what was happening. 

“It was just me trying to deal with it and calm myself down,” she says. “It would have been nice at the time to have more information on it so that I knew what it was and I wasn’t feeling so alone.”

It’s been four years since she first experienced those dreadful feelings of panic, and with the help of friends and family who taught her that anxiety is nothing to be ashamed of, she’s learned how to manage it. 

Jasmine’s not alone, though, 18 percent of the population experiences anxiety, according to the National Institutes of Health. Plus, women are twice as likely to deal with it than men, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. 

Anxiety disorders have been getting more attention, though, partly thanks to celebrities who’ve opened up about their own struggles.

Jasmine, who’s now 19, wanted to do her own form of raising awareness by creating a project for her classes at Gloucestershire University in England, where she’s studying documentary photography. Here, she shares the inspiration behind photos from her latest series, which she shot for school and has continued to work on in order to help others feel less alone.