Mazza’s essay exactly captures the way in which anxiety worms its way into the person suffering from it, becoming part of who they are.

As she says, you can’t “switch off” from anxiety, however much you want to.

And that might mean you come across as flaky (“it’ll cancel plans last minute”) or unfriendly (“it’s brushing people off for no reason”) - when, really, it’s the undercurrent force of anxiety at play.

The on-point message struck a nerve on Facebook, with Mazza’s post being shared over a thousand times since it was posted earlier this week.

“I feel like you just read my mind! You perfectly described me!” one person commented. “hugs to all out there that struggle with this! It’s so hard because you can appear to have it together to others for the most part, but inside you feel like you’re drowning!”

“Wow you just described my struggles exactly,” another adds. “It can feel extremely lonely and isolating and I feel like I push so many people away because of it. Thankyou for putting this out there and sharing.”

Anxiety is a difficult and unpredictable condition to live with, but it can be managed.

And posts like Mazza’s bring us one step closer to the compassion and understanding needed from the outside world to better achieve this goal.

Do you suffer from anxiety? Seek confidential help and support with the NHS or Mind

Main image: Getty

This Facebook post exactly captures the hidden struggle with anxiety so many of us face