Something to be Afraid of After All?
by Sophia Wright
I could not breathe. Sitting in my AP Physics class, I could not stop shaking. My leg twitched incessantly. My body went numb, and my vision blurred. Was my teacher saying something to me? If he was, I could not hear him.
High school is the greatest four years of an individual's life, so I'm told. I'm a senior now and these have been the most prolonged, miserable, and insanely stressful four years of my life. Was I lied to? Or is it just me?
Senior year for most kids means taking an easier course load, having a job, joining lots of extra curricular activities to include on applications, getting a car, going to parties, and most importantly, graduating. This is the time to relax and be with friends.
But what about kids like me: anxiety stricken teenagers who have yet to find a place where they feel safe? Senior year is not great. It is a time to sit alone at home, binge eat, stress out about the future, and obsessively count the days left until graduation.
Sure, I have friends but it's still hard to feel like I fit in. I don't have anxiety free relationships with my friends that other people are privileged to have. When I can, I will avoid places or events where I know I'll be forced to interact with people, and I avoid starting conversations with people because what if they're busy? What if I'm bothering them? What if they don't actually like me? What if this is all just a joke? What if everyone is in on it and they've been laughing at me for the past four years?
Anxiety can be challenging to identify, and it is not something to take lightly. It is not easy to "suck it up", "calm down", and "get over it". By definition, anxiety disorders disrupt how your brain controls the signals it uses to identify danger and initiate action to help you avoid it. As a result, people with anxiety experience the feeling of danger when there is no danger present. This leads to an excessive amount of worrying which can cause serious emotional distress, and a lot of problems in that person's life.
Anxiety is difficult not only for the individual who is suffering, but also for people who do not understand its severity. It is very hard to describe the stress that comes with having anxiety. It might not always manifest itself physically, but inside it's like a monster that is trying to claw its way out and destroy you.
Most of the time, it is not easy for a person who has anxiety to seek help from others. To place the overwhelming burden of anxiety onto someone else can inflict huge amounts of guilt onto the person suffering. This creates a buildup of emotions and an intensified feeling of self hatred that can lead to other serious issues such as self-harm.
So, what can you do to help? Listen, be patient, and remember that reassurance about fear usually does not help. Be a support in your friends' lives. It's not enough to say it, you have to mean it. Spend some time getting to know the boy who sits by himself at lunch, or the girl in your class who doesn't speak. Little things can make the biggest difference.
Living with anxiety is not just terrible-- it's terrifying. Hiding in the shadows for four years, high school has been one big nightmare for me, and senior year is no exception. The pressure is over the top and most of the time I feel ready to give up. But I know I am not the only person suffering from anxiety, and by giving up I would only be giving in to it. It's hard, but I'm trying to get better.
High school is the greatest four years of an individual's life, so I'm told. I'm a senior now and these have been the most prolonged, miserable, and insanely stressful four years of my life. Was I lied to? Or is it just me?
Senior year for most kids means taking an easier course load, having a job, joining lots of extra curricular activities to include on applications, getting a car, going to parties, and most importantly, graduating. This is the time to relax and be with friends.
But what about kids like me: anxiety stricken teenagers who have yet to find a place where they feel safe? Senior year is not great. It is a time to sit alone at home, binge eat, stress out about the future, and obsessively count the days left until graduation.
Sure, I have friends but it's still hard to feel like I fit in. I don't have anxiety free relationships with my friends that other people are privileged to have. When I can, I will avoid places or events where I know I'll be forced to interact with people, and I avoid starting conversations with people because what if they're busy? What if I'm bothering them? What if they don't actually like me? What if this is all just a joke? What if everyone is in on it and they've been laughing at me for the past four years?
Anxiety can be challenging to identify, and it is not something to take lightly. It is not easy to "suck it up", "calm down", and "get over it". By definition, anxiety disorders disrupt how your brain controls the signals it uses to identify danger and initiate action to help you avoid it. As a result, people with anxiety experience the feeling of danger when there is no danger present. This leads to an excessive amount of worrying which can cause serious emotional distress, and a lot of problems in that person's life.
Anxiety is difficult not only for the individual who is suffering, but also for people who do not understand its severity. It is very hard to describe the stress that comes with having anxiety. It might not always manifest itself physically, but inside it's like a monster that is trying to claw its way out and destroy you.
Most of the time, it is not easy for a person who has anxiety to seek help from others. To place the overwhelming burden of anxiety onto someone else can inflict huge amounts of guilt onto the person suffering. This creates a buildup of emotions and an intensified feeling of self hatred that can lead to other serious issues such as self-harm.
So, what can you do to help? Listen, be patient, and remember that reassurance about fear usually does not help. Be a support in your friends' lives. It's not enough to say it, you have to mean it. Spend some time getting to know the boy who sits by himself at lunch, or the girl in your class who doesn't speak. Little things can make the biggest difference.
Living with anxiety is not just terrible-- it's terrifying. Hiding in the shadows for four years, high school has been one big nightmare for me, and senior year is no exception. The pressure is over the top and most of the time I feel ready to give up. But I know I am not the only person suffering from anxiety, and by giving up I would only be giving in to it. It's hard, but I'm trying to get better.
Good thoughts, I pray for your anxiety to run away, slowly chew at the fears, and Love the moment
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