When Anxiety Isn’t Just Stress

Being a teenager isn’t always fun. Between school, relationships, family, future plans, and trying to figure myself out, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. For me, that pressure didn’t just come and go; it built up quietly, until I realized I was dealing with something more than just everyday stress. I was dealing with anxiety. And while I didn’t always have the words for it, it was definitely there.

My anxiety doesn’t always show up in big, obvious ways: negative thoughts that won’t leave me alone, constant overthinking, a pit in the bottom of my stomach, or the compulsive action of constantly proving I’m fine, even when I’m not (see what I did there? 😉). It’s painful like that, and a lot more common than people want to talk about.

For me, the causes weren’t all that surprising. School has always been a huge source of stress; managing extracurriculars, a social life, and pursuing hobbies is difficult with 4+ hours of homework looming over your head. Along with school, there’s the social pressure, which doesn’t go away just when you put your phone down; I'm trying to figure out where I fit in, how I’m perceived, and whether I’m enough.

What I didn’t realize at first was how much anxiety could affect the rest of my life. It made it harder to concentrate. I started pulling back from things I used to enjoy. I was more irritable with the people I cared about. Even when I looked fine on the outside, I didn’t feel fine. And that disconnect made it harder to explain what was going or to reach out for help.

Eventually, I decided to stop pretending I was just “tired” or “stressed” and actually face what I was feeling. Opening up to my close friends who were going through the same experience helped me understand and control my anxiety. Basic self-care was important too. I used to brush off like sleep and exercise, but the truth is, when I’m not taking care of my body, my anxiety hits way harder. Getting enough rest, moving my body, and eating real, balanced meals (I'm looking at you Celsius addicts) helped curb my anxiety tremendously.

If you’re going through something similar, I want you to know you’re not the only one. Even if it feels like everyone else has it all together, they probably don’t. Anxiety is more common than people admit, and struggling with it doesn’t make you weak. I still have plenty of anxious days. I still struggle with overthinking. But now I know what’s going on, and I’m learning how to handle it instead of hiding from it. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, I hope you’ll give yourself the same chance.

We're all still figuring things out; and that’s perfectly okay.