Mrs. L. DiCiaula
Advanced Honors III 1st period
07 February 2024
Anxiety Puzzle
Looking down at my completely gnawed off fingernails, legs shaking, hoping no one seems to notice. Zoning in and out of conversations, just focusing on that one thought that has been consuming my mind for hours. My rapidly beating heart, aching fingers, and twisting stomach are all I feel as everything around me blurs. To others’ eyes, it probably looks like I’m daydreaming or intensely in thought, but what they don’t know is that internally I’m in panic mode. Anxiety invades my personal mind constantly with every little conversation, action, or even thought my body decides to pursue. Anxiety isn’t just stomach butterflies and nervousness; it …show more content…
Almost daily, that is what anxiety is, especially in public. One of the worst parts of anxiety is the continual fear of judgement and embarrassment. In the song, “The Archer” by Taylor Swift, she replays these words in her song,” They see right through me... Can you see right through me?... I see right through me...” The repetition of these phrases sincerely shows the persistent thoughts of what others think of me. Insecurity is a big factor in social anxiety because it is what drives the impression of judgement and stops me from getting to know others and making friends due to my brain thinking that they can “see right through me” or think I’m annoying. This quote by Albert Camus states,” Nobody realizes that some people expend tremendous energy merely to be normal.” Anxiety causes me to exert all my energy into talking and being social so that when I go out, most of the time I’m not even enjoying it. This makes experiences not meaningful and makes me focus on my awkwardness the whole night rather than the present. All in all, anxiety has a powerful effect on one’s social life and can cause many obstacles in life through making …show more content…
Fear is associated with anxiety, but that is not all it is. Anxiety is over-thinking, insecurity, a constant state of worry, panic, low self-esteem, and an immense number of other things. Fear is a short-term response to the body that has a stimulus attached, while anxiety is a long-term response with no stimulus present. In the morning before school, anxiety arises in me for an unknown reason. Every little scenario in my life, anxiety is attached to it at the hip. So, anxiety isn’t just fear, but tiny pieces of many emotions put into one, causing all the physical reactions, controlling thoughts, and random worrying all coming from the anxiety puzzle. As much as anxiety gets in the way of my daily life, it does make up my traits and personality through all the experiences I have had with it right behind me. It is scary, emotional, dramatic, and stressful, but also allows me to step out of my comfort zone and try new things, most of the time. Anxiety is not just fear, but irrational worries that keep adding up. It dwells on all aspects of my life, constantly, while fear only bubbles up sometimes. Many people struggle with the same feelings and thoughts that occur in my brain, and anxiety is something that is not deeply discussed around the world, resulting in a minimal definition being thrown