I wasn't born with anxiety, or maybe I was. How am I supposed to know? When you're a child all you think about is what Lunchable you're going to take to school or what Disney Channel original movie will be showing at 8/9 central.

To be completely honest, you have zero responsibilities as a child. Your parents pave your way so that way you don't have to do everything alone. It's when you are growing up, beyond the ages of 10, 12, or 14; you are becoming closer to starting your life. While it's been your life from the beginning, it's when you are solely independent, that's when it's really your life.

For me, that was when I started college, for others it could be when they started their first full-time career or when they got married; this varies by the individual. Although when I began college, I was 18 years-old and I have never truly experienced deadlines, exams where I actually had to study and living with other people besides my family. This is when my anxiety set in.

Now I'm going to go a little off topic here, but don't worry, it ties into the whole scheme.

You can ask my parents, I have been biting my nails since I was a kid. Now that may hint that I had anxiety from a young age, but in reality, I struggled with boredom too. In the face of boredom, stress, or impatience, a person will most likely "pick" at something whether that be, like me, biting my nails, or something like playing with a loose thread on a shirt. The anxiety a person feels requires the individual to occupy their minds with tedious activities to stabilize themselves.

As I've grown older I have noticed that my nail-biting has ceased dramatically from when I was a child, so much that I don't necessarily bite them but I pick at them. I see this as my transition from being bored to being anxiety-filled.

Whenever I am faced with my anxiety, I try to keep my mind off of it. For example, I was recently overwhelmed by a number of tasks I needed to do in order to gain a career sometime after graduation. I started panicking, my breathing increased, I could feel the tears beginning to form, and my face starting to feel warm from the increased blood-flow. Instead of letting my anxiety take control over my mind, I started to think of other things. Looking back on it now, that wasn't the best choice; this only increased my anxiety and I became considerably overwhelmed.

Once I was able to cry out my feelings, I started to make a physical list of my priorities. I looked at what needed to be done first and I decided what could be done later. I could feel my mind breathing again as I realized my fears had been overcome. Depending on my situations, this is one way I can manage my mind. Others include going outside for a walk, driving around town, talking with friends, or reading a book. While getting my necessary tasks done is usually what I need to do first, intertwining my hobbies with my duties is what brings me back to reality.

If you suffer from any sort of anxiety or you feel like the pressure is setting in, always remember to take breaks, breathe, and remember who you are. You are not the assignments that need to be done, the chores that still aren't completed, or the fear of not succeeding. While your mind tries to convince you otherwise, that's when doing the things you like to do come in and fight the battle for you. The happiness and joy you receive from submerging your mind in constructive thinking or activities are what can reduce your stress and let your anxiety be put to rest.