Hey, you! Welcome back to- The Psych Era. I’m assuming you’ve had an absolute thriller reading these blogs since you returned; however, we will be a bit more serious today. College is beginning to get more and more complex, which is resulting in something we are all familiar with- anxiety. Before I start, I think it is essential to mention this: nobody is perfect. Life is not a straight road; if it were, I would be a millionaire now, and the world would be filled with constant euphoria. Humans are curious by nature; our ability to imagine is what causes us unnecessary stress. For example, we sometimes cause problems due to something known as a self-fulfilling prophecy (disclaimer it is NOT manifestation to my “spiritually woke” readers out there). You know when something is tricky, and you tell yourself, “I can’t do this,” before trying? Yeah… you just set yourself up to fail. The power of the mind is a real thing. If you want to achieve, you must believe; now that needs to go on the internet as a top 10 inspirational quote(audience: laugh hysterically)!

Anyways, back to the topic. Anxiety occurs in all people because it is a necessary response that humans use to survive; fight or flight is an example of this however, too much of anything is dangerous. Many psychologists state that persistent anxiety that lasts for over six months and affects your life, whether socially or school-wise, is a disorder. This is due to the fact anxiety is correlated with phobia and depression. Allow me to clear the air on a common misconception I often see. Phobia is not the same as being scared. Actual phobia means that an individual will do absolutely anything to avoid the thing that they fear. For example, someone with arachnophobia will do whatever it takes to avoid a spider- and I mean WHATEVER. Why does this occur? Trauma. That is another term many uses loosely, but this is the usual cause of anxiety.

To further explain, a story is in order. A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, lived a baby named Albert. His mother had sold him for the hefty price of one dollar to a man known as John B Watson or, as I like to call him- The Joker. I call him this because he made this baby fear everything through his little “experiment” (torture) in which he would give the baby an item to hold, and as soon as he gripped the object, he would bang two pots together to scare the baby; I’m sure that room stunk. You must be wondering what the point was; well, it is for one to show that trauma is a conditioned response, and two, Watson is a supervillain(baby Albert was scared of literally everything). Anxiety is caused by experiences we face in our childhood. I’m no parent; however, to my older readers, do not be too overprotective with your children. I get it, kids can be annoying, sticky, gross, and overly curious, but if you shield them from the world too much, you may have a baby Albert on your hands. Nurture is vital, and that means letting kids be kids. Anxiety is currently on the RISE because of multiple factors, such as social media and the youth (I just turned 18, so I am not one of them), becoming desensitized to people’s feelings. Is it possible to completely eliminate anxiety? Well, obviously not because we need it to survive; however, there are ways to lower it. I should probably mention a few: exercise, deep breathing, reading, meditation, socializing, seeing a health care provider, etc. Anxiety is never going to just “go away,” but we can all help each other by remembering to put our health first and that we only live once(this is not a free pass to go crazy). Live life to the fullest, and always remember, if you ever feel lonely, anxious, or just need a hug, there is always help. Do not jeopardize your happiness, and never forget- you are loved. See you, beautiful people, next time in The Psych Era.