Everyday Struggles For A Person Dealing With Anxiety And How To Help | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Student Life

Everyday Struggles For A Person Dealing With Anxiety And How To Help

Many people deal with anxiety. Here's a few ways to help.

65
Everyday Struggles For A Person Dealing With Anxiety And How To Help
Kaysie Burnside

If you're currently dealing with or have ever dealt with anxiety then you know how difficult everyday actions that seem normal to most people can be. Here are just a few of the things that I've struggled doing because of my anxiety and few ways for others to help.

1. Ordering food.

I've gotten really good about this in the last couple years and most days it doesn't faze me anymore, but ordering food can be really hard, especially when I'm alone. Never, ever force someone to order. We're not just being lazy; talking to a stranger can seem very scary at times.

2. Looking someone in the eye.

This makes me really nervous. I constantly get jokes from customers about my lack of eye contact. Pointing it out just makes me more uncomfortable. It's best just to respect it and not say anything.


3. Crowded rooms.

Anyone who has ever seen me at a college party has seen me sitting on a couch in the corner of a room. I'm not antisocial, but a lot of people in a tiny space is just not my thing. It's best to approach the person alone, not with a huge group of people, and say hi. It makes me feel less alone, but doesn't make me feel attacked.

4. Attention being drawn.

There are very few things that make me cringe more than someone I'm with doing something that makes everyone look at us. I don't like people looking at me at all, let alone judgmentally. Be yourself, but don't go out of your way to "embarrass" someone because most times it goes a little beyond embarrassment.

5. Getting someone's attention.

I will quietly say someone's name five times and then give up because I am too scared to actually project enough for them to hear me. There aren't too many ways to help with this one because most times the other person doesn't even realize that I'm trying to talk to them.

6. Getting left On Seen.

When someone sees my message but doesn't reply I immediately jump to the conclusion that I am annoying and will probably not ever message them again. It seems dramatic when you look back, but at the time there seems to be no other explanation. I'm not going to tell you to never ignore someone because that is basically impossible. Life is too busy for that, but messaging them back later explaining that you were busy is a good way to make sure no feelings are hurt.

I'm lucky enough to have people who recognize my anxiety and help me through it. Surrounding yourself with the right people is always a good way to make your life positive.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
campus
CampusExplorer

New year, new semester, not the same old thing. This semester will be a semester to redeem all the mistakes made in the previous five months.

1. I will wake up (sorta) on time for class.

Let's face it, last semester you woke up with enough time to brush your teeth and get to class and even then you were about 10 minutes late and rollin' in with some pretty unfortunate bed head. This semester we will set our alarms, wake up with time to get ready, and get to class on time!

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

The 5 Painfully True Stages Of Camping Out At The Library

For those long nights that turn into mornings when the struggle is real.

1476
woman reading a book while sitting on black leather 3-seat couch
Photo by Seven Shooter on Unsplash

And so it begins.

1. Walk in motivated and ready to rock

Camping out at the library is not for the faint of heart. You need to go in as a warrior. You usually have brought supplies (laptop, chargers, and textbooks) and sustenance (water, snacks, and blanket/sweatpants) since the battle will be for an undetermined length of time. Perhaps it is one assignment or perhaps it's four. You are motivated and prepared; you don’t doubt the assignment(s) will take time, but you know it couldn’t be that long.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

The 14 Stages Of The Last Week Of Class

You need sleep, but also have 13 things due in the span of 4 days.

987
black marker on notebook

December... it's full of finals, due dates, Mariah Carey, and the holidays. It's the worst time of the year, but the best because after finals, you get to not think about classes for a month and catch up on all the sleep you lost throughout the semester. But what's worse than finals week is the last week of classes, when all the due dates you've put off can no longer be put off anymore.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

Top 20 Thoughts College Students Have During Finals

The ultimate list and gif guide to a college student's brain during finals.

215
winter

Thanksgiving break is over and Christmas is just around the corner and that means, for most college students, one hellish thing — finals week. It's the one time of year in which the library becomes over populated and mental breakdowns are most frequent. There is no way to avoid it or a cure for the pain that it brings. All we can do is hunker down with our books, order some Dominos, and pray that it will all be over soon. Luckily, we are not alone in this suffering. To prove it, here are just a few of the many deranged thoughts that go through a college student's mind during finals week.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

28 Daily Thoughts of College Students

"I want to thank Google, Wikipedia, and whoever else invented copy and paste. Thank you."

1633
group of people sitting on bench near trees duting daytime

I know every college student has daily thoughts throughout their day. Whether you're walking on campus or attending class, we always have thoughts running a mile a minute through our heads. We may be wondering why we even showed up to class because we'd rather be sleeping, or when the professor announces that we have a test and you have an immediate panic attack.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments