It’s strange to admit this, but sometimes I have to lock myself in the bathroom just to calm my anxiety. I’ll freeze in the grocery store, staring at the cereal aisle — too many choices, too much noise. I’ve gotten so overwhelmed that I’ve just walked out with nothing. There are times in a restaurant when I can’t even eat. The movement, the chatter, the people walking past — my brain focuses on everything except the food in front of me. These are all signs of institutionalization. When you’ve lived in a place where survival depends on routine, control, and hyper-awareness, your mind changes. You reprogram yourself — not by choice, but by necessity. Most of us don’t realize how deep those changes go until we’re free again. And that’s when the anxiety hits hardest. You feel different. You know you’re different. And that knowledge alone can be crushing. Institutionalization is a kind of mental illness — an unintended consequence of the last 45 years of mass incarceration in America. Until a person actively works to reprogram their brain again, they’re at real risk of reoffending. So if you know someone going through this, show empathy. Ask how they’re feeling. Listen without judgment. You might be the one person who helps them stay free. About the author: Andrew Goltz writes about criminal justice, reentry, resilience, and recovery after incarceration — drawing from lived experience to shed light on the human #TheStruggleIsReal #Institutionalization #CriminalJusticeReform #Reentry #MentalHealthAwarenessNeeded #Anxiety #MassIncarceration #LifeAfterPrison