Apparently, “transitioning to adulthood” is one of the most stressful things someone can go through in their lifetime. That makes complete sense to me, as I’ve barely been able to sleep this past week due to stress. On top of issues in my personal life, I am about to graduate high school and move 3 hours away from home… and oh boy, is it not as glamorous as I thought it’d be!
What they don’t tell you on Disney Channel is that some nights you’ll be so worked up about things THAT YOU CAN’T EVEN CHANGE that you’ll give yourself a stomach ache.
Last week, my mom received calls from me at least three times a day because I had gotten myself so worked up over nothing. I just needed to talk about it with someone. I am in a much better place for this week, but OH MY GOSH! One thing that being an anxious person has taught me is that it’s sooo important to talk through your feelings. Or if you can’t talk, just write them out. Sometimes hearing your worries out-loud or seeing your fears written right in front of you can help a lot.
What I’ve begun doing recently is writing out everything I am anxious about, but organized into two columns. The right column is labeled “Can Be Controlled”, and the left column is labeled “Out of My Hands”. Those categories are pretty self-explanatory. After writing everything out, I’m able to look at all my worries at once instead of just having them floating around in my head. It helps me realize that what I can’t control isn’t worth me worrying about as much.
All this just to say that I feel like a lot of us MSA seniors are feeling this way right now and I just want it to be clear that we’re not alone. We’re all in the same boat and we all have each other to lean on for support. Just remember to take time for yourself every now and then!
Omg I love how you offered advice on how to deal with anxiety instead of just explaining it. I’ve been having trouble with it when I never really have before and I wanna try the column thing next time it gets bad, thanks 🙂