"I Didn’t Even Know It Was Anxiety"

I’m a junior in high school, and for a long time, I just thought I was “bad at handling stress.” I’d get these tight chest feelings before tests, overthink everything I said in group projects, and constantly worry about disappointing my teachers or my parents. I didn’t call it anxiety- I thought I was just being dramatic.

Things hit a breaking point last fall. I had three exams in one week, SAT prep, and a group chat blowing up about prom committee. I remember sitting in the hallway before school, shaking, crying quietly, hoping no one would notice. That was the first time I realized: this wasn’t just stress. I couldn’t breathe. I didn’t feel safe in my own body.

I told my friend, and she said, “You might be having a panic attack.” That moment changed everything. I went to the school counselor… not because I wanted to, but because I didn’t know what else to do. Talking helped. A lot. I started seeing a therapist outside school, too. We worked on ways to ground myself, like breathing techniques and thought-challenging.

I’m still learning how to manage it. I still get anxious. But now I have words for what I’m feeling. I have people I can talk to. And most of all, I know it doesn’t make me weak… it makes me human.

If you’re reading this and any of it sounds familiar, please talk to someone. You’re not alone, even if it feels like it.

Anonymous, Class of 2026