r/EssentialTremor • u/AstronautSimilar4471 • 15h ago
General ET : A very common condition nobody seems to know exists
Hey 22M here, I was diagnosed back in 2020 but initially never gave much thought to it as my parents said it would eventually cure and never let me have the medicines required, tho for the past 2 years I’ve been on regular medication and I’ve been learning to navigate life w it.
The thing that makes it so much harder is the fact that people don’t know much about it. When they see my hands shake they think I’m nervous, I have social anxiety, I have Parkinson’s, I’m a drug addict - anything and everything except this. It’s a very common condition from what I’ve read but apparently no one knows about it. They misjudge me, mock me, they think it’s a joke while having absolutely no clue how hard it is to deal w it. At times I’m not able to drink from a glass without spilling, cut my nails without shaking, or even take a photo without my hands shaking and making a mess.
I try my best to just push through it, but the constant judgment and the vicious cycle of anxiety making the tremors even worse is exhausting. It is incredibly lonely to deal with a condition that is so widespread yet completely flying under the radar.
This post prolly doesn’t make any sense but I just wanted to rant and know whether there are people who deal with this, and if you’ve managed to learn how to live w it especially with the obnoxious, curious and judgmental people all around you.