Let’s talk about stress for one minute, shall we? Yes, I am fully aware that it’s summer, and that most of you are probably thinking about next semester about as much as I’m thinking about moving back to Idaho Falls. The reason I want to bring up the topic of anxiety is because, despite the season or the events going on around you at a certain time, stress can always find a way to permeate the air and destroy everything you think is good in the world. Is this what is happening to me to a varying degree? Yes. Does this mean that I’m going to talk about it in a article? Naturally.
Anxiety and I have never been friends. Since a young age, I’ve struggled with keeping my emotions in check. I find the smallest things to worry about (Did I remember to cite that one source in that paper for English 2010? Did I make a payment on my J. Crew credit card on Thursday or Friday? I hope one of my roommates is home to sign for that package containing my new jacket that I bought with my aforementioned J. Crew credit card…) and then pile those worries onto larger issues (Where am I going to live next fall? How am I going to make my next tuition payment? I shattered my iPhone screen?!) and, before I know what I’m doing, a domino effect takes place and I’m crying before I can even dial my mom’s phone number to tell her everything on my cracked phone. Believe me, when I say that I’ve called my mom crying more times this year than probably everyone reading this article right now combined. I struggle; it’s fine.
Throughout the last year of my life, I’ve faced more stressful situations than I can count. I changed my major from public relations to marketing. I found a new job. I was forced to meet so many new people (and I feel like I’m the most awkward individual, so I get paranoid when this happens). Lastly, I came to terms with my identity and came out of the closet. These all posed new and intimidating challenges that spiked my blood pressure and made my heart race faster than when I ran that 10K and basically died. And I’ll admit it, when I was approached me to write for Odyssey, I was anxious about it. Would I be creative enough? Would people even want to read what I have to say? When she told me that I could write about anything, I only drew blanks and it was stressful, but then I thought, what better way to start writing than to write about what I’m feeling right now, and here I am.
I wanted to bring up my times of stress for this first article because I want you all to know exactly who I am. I want you to see my vulnerabilities. I want to be able to tell you anything that my mind pumps out on paper, and not have the fear that you’re going to judge me. I want you to be able to trust me and my writing, and I feel that the best way to do this is to be completely honest. So I hope you’ll join me on this new quest with Odyssey. I look forward to what’s in store, stressful or not.
