What If I Can't Swim?

A Highly Regarded Band
I want to break free
I want to break free
I want to break free from your lies
You're so self satisfied, I don't need you
I've got to break free
I Want to Break Free by Queen, youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4Mc-NYPHaQ
A Swimming Pool
Fear, unease, worry throughout the day. This could lead to symptoms such as a pounding heartbeat, sweating, dizziness, or shortness of breath. This is anxiety, a disorder in which you have worsening anxiety. There are 2 specific ones I will mention. General Anxiety Disorder and Social Anxiety Disorder.
General Anxiety Disorder is the persistent feeling of anxiety that interferes with one's life. It's an almost obsessive worrying over every little thing throughout the day (NIMH GAD). It’s a nuisance, and having lived with it I can attest. But it isn’t unmanageable. With a few coping skills, you can handle any case of anxiety and avoid it interfering with your life. It’ll still be there. Anxiety doesn’t just go away. But by mitigating it, you can live a more stress-free life.
Social Anxiety Disorder is the feelings of intense fear and anxiety from social or performance-based situations, such as speaking in public, meeting new people, talking in front of a group of people, or performing in a concert, just to name a few (NIMH SAD). Having lived with SAD, I’ve had many breakdowns. You get so lost in your head and so scared for the future situation of socializing to any extent that you can’t escape. It’s just a spiral, sliding down further and further, unable to stop.
I’ve found that the key to his problem of mine, the solution to escaping my anxiety, is to fight it with brute force. Jumping into the deep end, if you would. Ever since my first foray into public speaking, I realized after the fact that facing my anxiety head-on gave me confidence. It helped me grow and start being comfortable with social situations. I’d go on to do more public speaking, start socializing and meeting people intentionally, and now with college, doing a performance group (Improv comedy). Everyone’s anxiety is different, each a completely unique escape room. The solution to mine thus far likely would not work for other people. You need to be a certain amount of insane to willingly throw yourself into a metaphorical fire.
Work Cited: “Generalized Anxiety Disorder: When Worry Gets out of Control.” National Institute of Mental Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2022, www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/generalized-anxiety-disorder-gad#:~:text=GAD%20usually%20involves%20a%20persistent,GAD%20develops%20slowly.
Work Cited: “Social Anxiety Disorder: More than Just Shyness.” National Institute of Mental Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2022, www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/social-anxiety-disorder-more-than-just-shyness.
Work Consulted: “Anxiety.” MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 17 Oct. 2023, medlineplus.gov/anxiety.html.

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