This is what an anxiety disorder feels like, in 9 photos

Katie Joy Crawford has generalised anxiety disorder and depression. She can't always explain how that feels, so she has tried to show it through her work as a photographer.

In My Anxious Heart Crawford is trying to capture both the physiological and psychological experience of mental illness through a series of self-portraits.

Crawford has just graduated from Louisiana State University and the series was her senior thesis project. She told i100.co.uk:

I've had anxiety for over 12 years and have used art to deal with it in an indirect way, but this time I wanted to create a literal interpretation of what it felt like for me.

Using my own stories and experiences, I am capturing the raw essence of anxiety.

I created the project as a way for me to personally express what I feel like in my experience. I know it may not be specific to each person, but I hope that it creates the opportunity to open a dialogue between those who suffer from it and those who have never understood it.

Speaking to the Huffington Post,Crawford added:

I want people that suffer from [anxiety] to be able to use these images as a reference if they need it

Through this personal journey, I have grown and found that depicting my fears has become therapeutic, as well as a gateway for others to express their oppression and begin their own healing process.

All images credit: Katie Joy Crawford. For more see her personal webstite and Facebook fan page.

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