By Caroline Infante, Staff Editor
Photo By Rachel Westby
Anxiety. A cruel joke played on both the best and worst of humanity. Constant fear...as if life isn't hard enough as it is. Having anxiety is like having a ball and chain on your leg, and the ball is on the edge of a cliff. And everyday you have to stare at it. Waiting for a stone or mound of dirt to shift. Waiting for a gust to send it rolling, even though you know there's no rational way wind could move it. Anxiety is like waiting for someone to cut the strings holding you up. It's a curse that no one really understands. People say, “oh yeah I have really bad anxiety.” and they might, but I'm willing to bet that 60% of the time, they have no idea what they're talking about.
Anxiety is walking in front of a window and having a completely unrealistic fear that you'll get shot. Anxiety is walking down the stairs, terrified you'll fall and break your neck. Anxiety is fearing what everyone is saying. Thinking it's always about you. Anxiety is constantly being aware that you could die at any moment. Anxiety is fear. Terror that you will die. Or mess up. Or hurt someone. It's also positively one of the worst things to struggle through during high school, or really any time for that matter. The worst part is, people say they understand, they try to understand. But they don't. And they can't. Not unless they have it.
Now, I don't mean to segregate or designate what anxiety entails, but it's not so simple as, “I'm afraid of talking in front of the class.” while it may count, if you think that's bad, you've got no idea. I know people think anxiety isn't as severe as other illnesses. Like depression and OCD it's underrated and second guessed. So if you see someone having a panic attack or a hard time breathing, you should try to help them. Don't laugh at their irrational fear, because you don't know what it's like to be scared to live.
Living with Anxiety is like being followed by a voice that knows all your insecurities and uses them against you.
It gets to the point where it becomes the only voice in the room.
The only one you can hear.
Anxiety is walking in front of a window and having a completely unrealistic fear that you'll get shot. Anxiety is walking down the stairs, terrified you'll fall and break your neck. Anxiety is fearing what everyone is saying. Thinking it's always about you. Anxiety is constantly being aware that you could die at any moment. Anxiety is fear. Terror that you will die. Or mess up. Or hurt someone. It's also positively one of the worst things to struggle through during high school, or really any time for that matter. The worst part is, people say they understand, they try to understand. But they don't. And they can't. Not unless they have it.
Now, I don't mean to segregate or designate what anxiety entails, but it's not so simple as, “I'm afraid of talking in front of the class.” while it may count, if you think that's bad, you've got no idea. I know people think anxiety isn't as severe as other illnesses. Like depression and OCD it's underrated and second guessed. So if you see someone having a panic attack or a hard time breathing, you should try to help them. Don't laugh at their irrational fear, because you don't know what it's like to be scared to live.
Living with Anxiety is like being followed by a voice that knows all your insecurities and uses them against you.
It gets to the point where it becomes the only voice in the room.
The only one you can hear.