Underwater

As someone with a diagnosed general anxiety disorder, I often find myself dealing with irrational, debilitating episodes of symptoms that leave me too weak to do anything. Most people with this disorder seek medicine and years of therapy. I find art to be my own form of therapy. Through this self portrait animation, I capture the essence of what an anxiety attack feels and looks like. In this virtual space, am free to break physical boundaries to exhibit this attack in a dramatized fashion that even those with anxiety can relate to. The figure is grayscale and lacks any vibrancy, she folds herself into a fetal position to close herself off from her surroundings, and a body of water with aggressive waves surrounds her. This animation mimics the irrational fear, pressure, depression, shortness of breath, and rapid heart rate of an anxiety attack.