Anxiety Poems

Below are a collection of anxiety themed poems. Click on the little navigation bar to be taken to the poem of that name. Enjoy!

Fighting for Control

Fear grows deep within, a seed which my past planted

For not matter how fierce I may seem, I am not by it enchanted

It’s an illusion, it’s fake, it’s anxiety calling my personal shots

What I can and cannot do, ain’t up to me, it’s anxiety that joins the dots

Anxiety is controlling, it cuts deep

Anxiety keeps me awake when I want to sleep

Anxiety ain’t my friend

Anxiety drives me round the bend

Pain flares inside my mind, another has gone

Anxiety has again used me as its pawn

For I am alone, the silence scares me

But still anxiety won’t let me be

It’s dark inside, a maze, a mess, unstable

The outside us it’s labelled

Weird, weak, scarred monster, unlovable knower

They stare at my weakness exposed, waiting for me to sink lower

My mind says, you should’ve… I’m never good enough

And when I try to fight, anxiety builds itself of stronger stuff

It’s metal,stone, concrete,it’s unbent by my will

I am wool, the breeze battering itself against a rocky hill

Sometimes I win, my mind at last quiet

Then anxiety inside does riot

It gathers itself and comes back when I fear it most

A classroom, a tutors office, inside I am far from the safe coast

In deep waters I drown, silence encasing all around

My hands, legs and heart are strongly bound

I’m sinking, falling too fast, danger’s inside

And I sit there wide and damply eyed

Sometimes I wish my anxiety were gone

But without it, would I see tomorrows dawn?

What would life be without anxiety controlling me?
What would life be if I were completely and utterly free?

I can but dream of a time like that

A time of peace and quiet with no verbal spat

I will never know a life that is free

For I know my anxiety will never truly leave me.

Breathless

Breathe.

Let it all go.

Breathe

You cannot let this show

Breathe

Cover this all

Breathe

Please let me not fall

Breathe

Listen not to it

Breathe

Find strength in your spirit

Breathe

It will be over soon

Breathe

So you will not swoon

Breathe

Calm your heart

Breathe

This raging fear will soon part

Anxiety Attack

World shrinks, closing in, dark

Colours dull, sounds blur, stark

Heart pounds, hands shake, fear

Breath dissipates, hearing gone, veer

Thought fog, mind rushes, inert

Knees weak, tears fall, hurt

Voices yell, people go, alone

Body shaking, voice breaking, groan

Legs collapse, body reacts, flee

Tears fall, I’m gasping, plea

Death’s near, breathing fast, panic

Touch nothing, I’m invisible, manic

Help me, see me, distorted

Nobody comes, nothing helps, thwarted

Words dim, snot builds, peerless

No light, no future, cheerless

Cold settles, fingers pick, pain

Lip bleeds, teeth gnaw, slain

Nails bitten, fingers bloody, slow

Anxiety driven, jitters inside, woah

Calming down, heart slowing, free

Thoughts clear, body listens, me

Colours brighten, sounds appear, here

Breathing again, death going, seer

Legs standing, tears wiped, normal

Feeling again, clean up, formal

Mask up, perfectly pretend, fine

Keep going, classes return, mine

Time ticks, what next, hope

Pleading inside, music loud, cope

Hide away, feel shame, clash

Anxiety builds, not again, crash

Anxiety Attack

Anxiety No More?

Sitting up late at night, wandering about in my head

What would life be without my anxiety, would it be free of dread?

Would I never overthink the things I had said?

Would I be able to stay in those rooms from which I’d fled?

Could I go out into the world and be free?

Could I go anywhere and not fall down mentally?

Would I not have a nagging voice choking me?

Is this what life would be like without my anxiety?

Would I be able to speak to all kinds of folk?
And never upon my words would I choke?

Would I have the guts in those classes to have spoke?

Would I crack with my friends a really bad joke?

Would I walk down a street, tall and proud?

Would I finally be free of this darkened shroud?

Would I speak freely to a stranger filled crowd?

Could I stop my head from being always bowed?

Could I sing badly for all to hear?

And not have my head filled with fear?

Could I laugh with friends while they drink beer?

And laugh with them when they at me jeer?

Think of all the scary experiences I’d be all for!

Think of the ways I could leap out my front door!

Think of the love that could make my heart sore!

Think of the new people I could adore!

There’s so many things I would do more

If only my anxiety wasn’t such a bore

World

I'm Done

World

Sometimes I feel like I am powerless in the world I live

Like there’s simply too much on in my head, so much noise

Like everyone around me, takes from me, more than I can give

Like within this world, to them my emotions are simply toys

I feel trapped in this world so often I am no longer scared by it

I’ve never really fitted in, been accepted by the ones I love much

I am always humming with anxieties hidden behind smiles and a quick wit

I know not a place where pain isn’t so strong it takes my breath, with a single touch

I often feel like I am not being myself but yet I don’t know who I am

I lock myself away behind walls so tall I can no longer find the light

Yet my feelings boil and simmer till they knock down my walls with a tiny slam

And then the protection I cling to, is gone, torn away and I am left alone to fight

I do try to raise my voice, to silence her voice and keep myself sane

I do try to be better, to be organised, to be “on it” and to keep myself alive

I do try to eat enough, to worry little, to be brave and to keep myself from pain

But no matter how many lists, ticks and grades, I never seem to ever thrive

I keep myself wrapped in mystery, not open but yet not closed

I am fearful of forgetting something or letting myself go

I never am at peace but I always try to stay coldly composed

I try to keep the time from running away or going too slow

Sometimes I feel like i am powerless in the world I live

Like there’s too much around for me to take in

Like everything around me syphons from me, anything I can give

Because I spend all my time in my darkened head, trying to fight a war, I’ll never win

Numb

I’m Fucking Done

I’m so fucking done with letting them down

And failing to keep people around

I’m so fucking done with not being right

And not knowing if I’ll win the next fight

I’m so fucking done with my anxiety being a flaw

And with biting my fucking nails till the skins bloody and raw

I’m so fucking done with never being enough

And not ever eating too much stuff

I’m so fucking done with hating who I am

And feeling like confidence is a scam

I’m so fucking done with picking at my face

And hating my lack of (emotional) grace

I’m so fucking done with the god damn scars

And with the struggles they betray from afar

I just want to restart back before I harshly fall

I’m so fucking done with it all

Numb

Forever etched into my mind

I’m left wondering why can’t you be kind?

There’s so much power your words hold

And you leave me feeling icy cold

I cannot breathe when you are near

I barely exist until you need me here

I feel alone all the time

Because you push me from your mind

You don’t know me but you think you do

You can’t control me but you’d love to

You can’t understand me, nor I you

Yet your words, they do cut my heart through

Forever etched into my mind

I’ve stopped caring why you’re unkind

There’s no hope for us now

So I will gracefully out of this bow

Changes

Failure

Changes

Sometimes I wish I could turn back time

Change the past, make it better

To change the bad choices,and the fateful crime

To change the hurt and unwrite that letter

To never say, to never have done, to have never slept

To never have stepped, to never have lied

But to have been honest, truthful and to have many times, wept

And to finally, to the world, look with eyes newly dried

Sometimes I wish I could change the present

To freeze time, make the world safely secure

To make them happy and utterly content

And to mental health, have found the cure

Sometimes I wish I could change my future

Know who I would love, if I would marry

To never have my heart held by a weak suture

And to know the children I could in my body, carry

Sometimes I wish I could alter the past

Redo the stutters, the unknown into the known

Redo the work, make the meaning truly last

And to with my broken wings, have flown

Sometimes I wish I could change the now

Make myself fit in, stay present and not in my head

Make my laugh not so loud, to never have asked how

And to kick anxiety out of my warm bed

Sometimes I wish I could change my time to come

To know I would never be hurt, to know if I find peace

To see if I would make it to 33 and if I will be accepted by someone

And to know if my anxiety will ever to existence cease

Coming Clean

Failure

Of all the things I thought I’d do

Failing at the first hurdle? I’m so screwed

There’s no way to go back and re-do

This RER assessment and me are through

It was nice to be on the course, my joy was short lived

I guess I should have had more attention to give

I should have asked more questions, been brave

For now I have to go it alone into my grave

Because of all the things I thought I’d do

Failing this RER breaks my heart in two

There’s no way to go back and redo

I guess this MASc course and me are through

Goodbye?

Coming Clean

When I came clean to you that day, you stood unshaken

You told me it was all ok, that my trust in you wasn’t mistaken

I felt a weight lift off my chest, felt the water drowning me clear

I rose towards the surface, to look at this new world without fear

For you see, I had panicked over how to tell you

Wondered whether it was needed, if I could emotionally see it through

I spent hours typing out the words I wanted to say

I had to make it perfect for I was nervous you would run away

You didn’t run though, you were a breath of fresh air

Grounding me in a new reality, one that’s full of kindness and care

You messaged back within minutes, you respected my worries

You thanked me for trusting you, oh my tears came in flurries

After we spoke, I didn’t overthink or sit in a stress induced fret

I walked into uni the following day feeling like my fears weren’t a threat

I laughed with you all day and felt so utterly free

Like the world you introduced me to, was mine to experience and see

But then came tutors that I didn’t know

I was trapped, I was cornered, they triggered me badly and so

I sunk inside myself, I tried desperately to hide

I thought nobody could see that my words had died

But like an angel, a fairy godmother or star

You noticed my brain had wandered too far

You stole me back from the inside of my head

You stopped my panic from taking me to the land of the dead

You knew somehow I wasn’t alright

You tried to pause my body's response to take flight

Yet I dissociated to a point where I couldn’t engage with you

But you kept on going, kept quietly showing me cute distractions too

You kept on going until my head knew I was safe and here

You showed me pictures of ducklings, you stayed near

You knew that I needed help when I couldn't even speak

How did you do that? You made my world less bleak

So now I trust you, really trust you on levels unknown

I hope my confidence in relationships will continue to grow

If I hadn’t give you the information that you did need

I wouldn’t have met someone who wants me to succeed

So I’m proud of the fact I reach out

That I fought through the triggers, panic and doubt

Because had I stayed silent all this time and done what my trauma cried

I wouldn’t have you, supporting me and standing by my side

Thank you for letting me come clean

For respecting me as a human, as an anxious bean

I’m grateful to have a tutor like you

And I know you will change more students lives in the future too

Let her stay

You can take her from me but I will not break

You can steal her from us but we will stand strong

You can try to break us apart but we will not let her go without a fight

UCL let us keep her

shes our hope filled light

You have tried to break the kindest soul we know

You have tried to destroy the course she helped save

You have treated her with disdain, cruelty and pain

UCL let us keep her

She's better than any "well known" arts in health name

In the face of inhumanity, we will stand against you, united

We will not let you destroy her or our MASc family

Injustice will not pass us by

UCL let us keep her

Shes is our lifeline

Goodbye?

Dare I dream of a future with you in it?
Dare I hope that you might stay?
Dare I believe we might become friends in the future?
Or will you like the others, simply fade away?

If I dream of a future with you, will I get hurt?
If I hope that you stay, will my heart shatter if you don't?
If I believe we could be friends, what happens if you don't think so?
I don't know if my heart could heal from that kind of pain

Dare I dream of hanging out with you?
Dare I hope we might become true equals one day?
Dare I believe you might call me your ally?
and trust me with your heartbroken pain like I do you?

If I dream that we hang out, what happens if I mess up?
If I believe I am enough, what happens if I no longer have something you want?
What happens if I accidentally hurt you? I so hope that I won't.
But I worry if I do, like the others, you'll blame me and tell me I fucked us up

But I want us to get coffee,
to do the things normal people do
I know that I'll never fall in love, nor would I want to
But with you I feel like I am enough

I think I'm nervous of a future with you
But not because of anything you do
It's because I'm not used to people staying
And I so desperately want you to

And so I sit and overthink
I worry all the time
I'm panic stricken that someday
My inaction will cause you to say goodbye

Let Her Stay

Out of Control

Two numbers, my heart stills in horror
The world fades away, shock rattles through its remains
Words exchanged in a fit of rage
Who will survive this war you started?

Time passes but it doesn't heal the damage done
I watch my self belief crumble, a shell of what it once was
I start to see a future of failure, I wonder what this was all for
In this battle you started

I have warriors fighting with me but they're stretched thin
My support system falters, then succumbs to your wounds
The cracks spread, the world turns to ashes
This war you started may have meant nothing to you but it destroyed me
I hope you are happy.

Out Of Control