1
Cline 1
Sierra Cline
ENGL 111/10F
Michael
October 1, 2018
Anxiety: A Real Issue
Anxiety is a very well-known problem today, it’s almost become a trend to have it. A lot of people see it as a made-up problem that is popular to have. Anxiety is not a fun trait to bond over or to see as something cool to have. It is a real issue that many struggle with every morning. Some days it takes all my strength to get out of bed and remember the things I fear can't touch me anymore and that they are just dreams now. I can remember so many times in high school I couldn’t make it to school because I couldn’t handle my emotions.I want people to see the daily challenges people face and the many consequences that come with having this disorder. It’s not a made-up cry for attention or trendy. It’s life altering.
Anxiety is defined as feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome. This is what I feel, and many others feel constantly on a daily basis without being medicated. Before I sought help, I was in a constant state of worry and panic. I never felt relaxed or at ease. I spent my days waiting for some imaginary shoe to drop. My mind was a never-ending Ferris Wheel of emotions I had no control over. Feeling like I have no control over myself isn’t a way to live. It took me two years of sleepless nights, tear stained pillows, and a prescription to learn how to manage it and I still have bad days. Days where I want to stay under the covers and hide from the world. No matter what I do or what I try, anxiety isn’t something I can get away from.
Some people think anxiety is a made-up issue. They think it’s an excuse people say so they can feel sorry for themselves and not be held at as high of a standard as others. I can vouch for this first hand. When I lived with my father he was the reason I wasn’t on medication. He believed it was all in my head, that I was making things up to get sympathy. He didn’t want people to know that he was part of the reason I had a mental disorder. While he was looking out for himself, his efforts to keep his reputation made my problems worse. I couldn’t understand why someone who was supposed to love me unconditionally thought so low of me. I just wanted him to see that I needed help. I wanted him to see it was real.
One day I came home from school once again to an empty house. I called my father to see if for once he would be home that day. I wasn’t surprised when he told me “ I will be home in two or four days,” that just sent me over the edge. I couldn’t handle being in a house by myself in the middle of nowhere. I told him I couldn’t handle it, I told him I needed him home. I started to have a panic attack and he told me to stop acting up for attention. He told me going out and drinking with his friends was more important. I was fifteen.
People also see anxiety as a made-up issue from how much of a trend it has become to have it. Young adults today glamorize...
