Wendy Tamis Robbins’ anxiety, obsessive-compulsive, and panic disorders started when she was a young child growing up in a volatile household. Anxiety controlled her life well into adulthood, to the point of agoraphobia.

Though she dabbled in treatment from time to time, it took many years and an unsuccessful marriage before she finally took hold of her mental health and, through introspection, meditation, re-parenting and self-administered exposure therapy, escaped from her self-inflicted prison.

Not only are we living in an era of particularly high anxiety, but according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, anxiety-related disorders are the most common mental illness in the United States, affecting more than 40 million adults aged 18 and older. And anxiety disorders also affect more than 25 percent of teenagers ages 13 to 18.

Wendy's story offers hope and inspiration to individuals trapped by anxiety disorders.