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Logan Harmsen

Ms.Bradshaw

Senior Writing

16 Nov. 2021

Anxiety

Have you ever dealt with anxiety? Maybe over a test or a research paper? Well I have.

My anxiety started sophomore year. After, Covid-19 locked me in my house for 6 months I was

scared to go back out into society and I still to this day cannot be in big groups of people I don’t

know. This story might sound similar to a lot of other people and they have asked these

questions: what did Covid-19 do to my anxiety, what does anxiety look like in others, and what

can people do to combat anxiety?

Covid-19 has affected all people with anxiety in one way or another. According to an

article about Covid-19 and Mental Health“ 57 percent of people who believed the outbreak had

impacted their finances more than most people reported experiencing high levels of

psychological distress” (“COVID-19 Pandemic”). This means people's finances are messed up

because of Covid-19 pandemic causing them to have anxiety. Another piece of evidence that

relates to Covid-19 and anxiety is “Fifty percent of people reporting high distress had disabilities

that prevented them from participating fully in school, work, housework, or other activities”

(“COVID-19 Pandemic”). People with Disabilities already deal with a lot of anxiety, but the

Covid-19 pandemic has amplified the amount of anxiety they suffer because they are not able to

participate in their day to day lives with the shutdown. The Covid-19 pandemic unknownness

has also contributed to people's anxiety. Whether it’s finances, job security, economic instability,
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or academic interruption (“Anxiety and Stress”). This all made people have anxiety about losing

everything they worked for.

Anxiety looks different in everybody. Anxiety could be an eating disorder which is

caused by a variety of different things but anxiety is a big factor with most people (“Mental

Disorders”). People are now paranoid of what people think of their body. It also doesn't help

that people on social media have photoshopped pictures and make them unrealistic. There is also

over eating of binge eating that is caused by a lot of things but a major one is anxiety. “Nearly

one in three teenagers told the American Psychological Association that stress drove them to

sadness or depression--and their single biggest source of stress was school” (“School Making

Children Ill”). Not all kids fail because they are not smart, some fail because they are under a lot

of stress in other classes, home, or work. Kids can also have anxiety with events that happened at

home but a big thing is going to school and work after. Kids go to school for 6 hours then they go

to work, and after work they have to do homework (“School Making Children Ill”). I have this

problem myself. I wake up at 6 am then I am at school all day and have an hour to get to work

then I'm there till 10 and have to go home and do my homework and repeat.

There are multiple ways to combat anxiety. “The most effective ways to manage routine

stress on an individual basis begin with establishing healthy eating, exercise, and sleep habits”

(“Anxiety and Stress”). Getting good nutrition and brain food is a big part of how people feel.

Also getting some exercise, maybe it’s walking or swimming physical activity, makes you feel

energized. A big part of managing stress is getting enough sleep at night. Sleep is a key factor on

how people are the less tired you are the more energy you will have to do things throughout the

day. “Antidepressants can help stabilize certain chemicals in the brain that regulate mood and

control stress responses” (“Anxiety and Stress”). Another route to go with stress management is
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taking medication. Medication can combat anxiety with stabilizing chemicals in the brain to

make the person be able to function without anxiety. Being mindful and engaging in school

activities and out of school activities are ways to combat anxiety (“School Making Children Ill”).

Being a part of a group or a sports team can make a person feel included in a stressful

environment.

After asking these questions and implementing them into my own life I have learned how

to manage the amount of anxiety I have. Even with these questions answered there are many

more that are still unanswered. Physiatrics are still looking at anxiety and stress management

everyday to learn more about how it affects day to day life in order to improve everyday life for

everyone.

Work Cited

"COVID-19 Pandemic and Mental Health." Gale Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale,
2021. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints,
link.gale.com/apps/doc/LJKRYR317953259/OVIC?u=musk63060&sid=bookmark-OVIC&
xid=f92d86c3. Accessed 8 Nov. 2021.

"Anxiety and Stress Management." Gale Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2021.

Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints,

link.gale.com/apps/doc/LJEMBG341907216/OVIC?u=musk63060&sid=bookmark-OVIC&

xid=31b160dc. Accessed 8 Nov. 2021.

Abeles, Vicki. "Is School Making our Children Ill?" New York Times, 03 Jan 2016. SIRS Issues
Researcher,
https://explore.proquest.com/sirsissuesresearcher/document/2262478945?accountid=67042.
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"Mental Disorders." Gale Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2021. Gale In Context:
Opposing Viewpoints,
link.gale.com/apps/doc/YJGEEH046968678/OVIC?u=lom_accessmich&sid=bookmark-OVIC&
xid=fe42cabf. Accessed 19 Nov. 2021.