Yes I'm fine, just tired: Even the best excuses to hide anxiety only make it worse. A true story of panic, OCD and the search for identity

'Yes I'm fine, just tired', is a first person account of how Tom went from being a teenager, disabled by Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, panic attacks and anxiety, to an adult content with who he is.Everyone experiences anxiety at some point in their lives. However, more people are coming to view anxiety not as a disorder (necessarily) but as an emotion. It rises and falls based on the level of perceived danger. It acts as a protective mechanism in this way.Tom explores these concepts from an evolutionary, psychological, biological and social standpoint using his experiences as a way to draw upon similarities with others. Tom hopes his experiences will shed some light as to why anxiety has become increasingly more prevalent within the western world. Tom's narrative coincides with the methods and teachings of Charles Linden in 'The Linden Method' as well as Barry McDonagh's 'Dare Response'. With the ever-increasing amount of distraction in our world, it is imperative we spend more time with ourselves to get to know ourselves. Tom hopes his experiences will help define what anxiety is, what it can do, why we have it as well as how it manifests itself so that it does not prevent others from living their lives as it once did for him.***'By the time we reached the party, I was yet again in a state of panic, engrossed in the belief that I was trapped inside my own head; no control whatsoever. When we got out of the taxi, I looked at Luke with a horrified expression. He immediately understood what was happening...' Hey there mate! I'm Tom and this is how I befriended the anxious bloke in my head.Everyone experiences anxiety from time to time. It is an emotion. Understanding this minor detail relieved many of my intrusive thoughts and symptoms. It is here you will delve into my diary entries and experiences, culminating in the toughest yet most significant eight hours of my life.