This article originally appeared on 10.15.18
Everyone grapples with anxiety from time to time, but for illustrator Gemma Correll, it's a longer, constant battle. That's why she started making funny comics to cope.
While Correll is British, to give you homeland perspective, anxiety disorders affect 18% of the adult population (40 million people), making it the most common mental illness. As such, many treatments and coping methods are available both clinically and homeopathically, but since anxiety can manifest differently in everyone, nothing is a surefire fix. Thus it falls to individuals to perform a lot of trial and error.
In a lucky turn of events, Correll discovered her coping method could also be her career. She illustrates hilarious comics, many of which often directly relate to her own anxiety.
“I honestly think that humour can be a saviour at times of distress or, if you just live with a constant level of anxiety and depression like I do," she told Mashable.
Yes, her work has helped her deal with the daily struggles that accompany her anxiety, but she also hopes it brings comfort to others and perhaps even inspires them to speak out about their own struggles. The more candid we are about anxiety, the less alone people living with it will feel.
See 12 examples of how Correll's anxiety translates into hysterical comics just above.

















What foods would you pick without diet culture telling you what to do?
Flexibility can help you adapt to – and enjoy – different food situations.
Anxious young woman in the rain.Photo credit
Woman takes notes.Photo credit 
Revenge can feel easier than forgiveness, which often brings sadness or anxiety. 
In the past two years, two malaria vaccines have become available for babies starting at 5 months of age.
By exploiting vulnerabilities in the malaria parasite’s defense system, researchers hope to develop a treatment that blocks the parasite from entering cells.
Created with 

Volunteers who drive homeless people to shelters talk with a person from Ukraine in Berlin on Jan. 7, 2026.
Tasks that stretch your brain just beyond its comfort zone, such as knitting and crocheting, can improve cognitive abilities over your lifespan – and doing them in a group setting brings an additional bonus for overall health.
Overdoing any task, whether it be weight training or sitting at the computer for too long, can overtax the muscles as well as the brain.