2 min read
How would you define anxiety? 😵💫😐🤓🤔
Last week my daughter (age 11) came home from school and told me that one of the teachers gave a presentation on anxiety. When I asked her what she got from it, all she really remembered was the fun interactive activity where her classmates shared anonymously on slips of paper what they were most afraid of.
Some of the answers included: my pet running away, my family members dying, and, getting Covid…among others.
I LOVE that the schools are stepping up and starting these conversations, but hearing this then made me stop and think, WHAT exactly is anxiety?
Could I explain it to a child?
What does it mean to “have” anxiety…? 🤔🤔🤔
And, what does anxiety look like?
I decided that maybe pictures would help…
In the three accompanying pictures included in this post can you tell which one shows the child experiencing anxiety?
The short/correct answer is ALL of them.
As far as I understand, occasional anxiety is a “normal” part of life. The challenges arise when the word “disorder” is added. Having an anxiety disorder often brings with it intense, persistent and excessive worries and fears about extreme outcomes to everyday happenings.
From the first picture where my daughter proudly holds her first-responder artwork in May 2020 as we struggled to make the best of lockdown, to the image of her forcing a positive post-vaccination face in January 2022, to the most recent scene of her chilling with her pup…I have learned that a smile on the outside doesn’t necessarily mean that peace and happiness lies within. 😐😐😐
The thoughts and conversations preceding all of these snaps were filled with fear and questions on whether she would wake up alive the next day.
Really. ❤️
THIS is general anxiety.
Anxiety 101, if you will…
THIS is our normal. 💪🏼❤️
…and THIS is just a snapshot.
There is much more.
The recent stats on the current mental health of Canada’s youth are alarming.
The full blog with more can be found in my bio, or at:
https://linktr.ee/planITgirl
IT is life
IT changes…and that’s OK
IT is all OK
Credits, and Kudos
Raffi Cavoukian
Dr. Dimitri Christakis
Through stories and connections planITgirl’s goal is to help people who have been impacted by trauma to understand what trauma is, and how it may be impacting them…or someone they know.
The founder is a writer and speaker who strives to share her personal journey of living with trauma and PTSD in a forward-thinking, positive, professional and connective format.
If you feel (or care for someone who feels) lost, isolated, different, stuck and misunderstood, we hope the thoughts, stories and connections shared will resonate with you.