Photos taken by contributor Racquel Fortuna, a 31-year-old woman from Fayetteville, North Carolina. Racquel lives with severe anxiety that causes her to shut herself off from the rest of the world. She often feels overwhelmed by fear, doubt, sadness, and isolation. Racquel’s internal battles were negatively impacting her life, both mentally and physically, until one day when she decided to challenge herself to turn things around. She started by taking better care of herself and opening up about her fight with anxiety to her loved ones.

About these photos: “This is the conclusion of Overcoming Anxiety, a series of black and white self-portraits expressing my struggle to move beyond the constraints of my anxiety issues. I find comfort in the idea that we’re all connected through our emotions and experience. Through this bond, we understand more about each other and, more importantly, ourselves. My group of self-portraits portrays my personal journey in conquering my issues, beginning negatively and progressively becoming more positive as the series develops.  I desire to share this experience in order to inspire viewers. By revealing my vulnerability, I hope to form that emotional connection with my audience and convey that the struggles we go through in life make us all human.

The photos shown here are called: Explore, Progression, Listen, Peace, Pause.”

Find more from Racquel at her website.

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