Many students at CHS suffer from anxiety.
Anxiety is a disorder common in teens and young adults that involves persistent and excessive worry that interferes with daily activities.
“At age 13, about 8% of the U.S. teens have a diagnosable anxiety disorder. By age 18, up to 15% of all teens experience symptoms of a clinical anxiety disorder,” said Mission Harbor Behavioral Health, a medical website.
“I struggle very badly with anxiety. I think the main cause of my anxiety is all of the trauma I endured throughout my childhood. Growing up, I didn’t have the best life. I went through a lot of things, and I’m proud of myself for making it through all of it. One of the main effects of my anxiety is the way it affects my everyday mood. For example, I always feel paranoid. I often feel like everyone around me is staring at me or talking about me, and sometimes it will keep me up at night. I take medications to help me with my sleep and with my GAD [ generalized anxiety disorder]. I think the best advice I could give to someone struggling with anxiety is do not be scared to reach out for help. I know it can be scary and sometimes you can lose some people on the way, but there’s always someone there who cares about you. Never be scared to talk to a trusted person about the way you feel. Your emotions matter just as much as anyone else’s,” an anonymous sophomore said.
“I know lots of students and people outside of school who struggle with anxiety. I personally do not struggle with it, but the best advice I can give someone is to find the willpower to overcome it. You’re stronger than you think you are,” said geometry teacher Alexandra Reid.
“I think one of the main causes for my anxiety is all of the bullying I have been through. I don’t get help for my anxiety because I’m too scared to reach out for help. I’m scared of what people think. My whole life I have been told that it is just in my head. The only advice I can give someone is try to surround yourself with people who actually care about you, cut off the toxic people, and find people who really care,” said an anonymous junior.
“Help is available. No one should ever have to feel alone or feel like they don’t matter,” said anonymous senior.
