Anxiety is everywhere, there is no escape. When we are young, there is not much to worry about; we play with our friends, our world is small and we have the guidance of our parents. But, as we age, meeting new people is not as easy as it used to be.
As teenagers, our fears can grow out of proportion. Some of us hate to leave the house, knowing we most likely will see others. There are endless possibilities for embarrassment.
Just showing up for school or finding a job may be difficult. One wrong move and everyone sees it; humiliation is a constant fear. Our hands are shaky and we are scared to make a mistake.
We need to take a step back, breathe and ground ourselves. It can be hard to remember, but everyone is on the same page.
My understanding of my peers is that most of us feel the same way. Ironically enough, people are paying too much attention to themselves to notice the small, minor mistake they might have made.
It’s part of life to make mistakes. We’ve all heard the saying “nobody’s perfect,” and if we could just take a minute to think about it, we could appreciate that it is absolutely true.
Our society has been conditioned to look up to celebrities, the people we call “perfect,” but upon closer inspection, they are just the same; even they stumble sometimes.
Teenagers should keep in mind that we are still learning; we cannot do everything right or be amazing at everything. We need to accept that although we will look stupid at times to others, it does not matter in the grand scheme of things; it all fades away eventually.
People forget, and we do not need to torture ourselves by reliving embarrassing moments in our heads every night.
We all have anxieties and different stages of our lives bring different problems. You can ask anyone and they will tell you that you are not alone.
Your parents, grandparents and friends, everyone worries; it’s part of being human.
Macy How is a grade nine student at École Côte-du-Soleil.
