Welcome to Angsthood

Imagine you have to do well in school, find a job, and figure out what you want to do for the next forty years of your life, all while having to make sure that your clothes are up to fashion standards. Because lets face it, you can’t be seen in public wearing last year’s collection. Sounds quite rough, does it not? Well this is the reality for most teens and young adults these days. Stress and anxiety just become a routine in our daily lives.

When we’re young, Mom and Dad take care of all the little things like paying for school, driving you here, picking you up from there, packing your lunch, buying you clothes. The important stuff like coloring between the lines and having the best snacks to trade at recess are things that we have to take care of by ourselves. They’re tough tasks but we manage pretty well.

As we grow older and reach the beginning of adulthood, the serious responsibilities begin to fall on our shoulders. This is where all the fear and anxiety takes place. Angst, as much as we resent it, is a great thing. This is where our characters are built to prepare us for the real world. When we begin to deal with these types of emotions, it means we are in the middle of our coming-of-age process, which is the transition from adolescence to adulthood. It’s normal to be scared and normal to not know what to do, because realistically, how many eighteen or nineteen year olds really know what they want to do in life.

Angst is certainly a defining feature in the coming-of-age process. While trying to juggle a part time job, competing in sports, maintaining a social life, AND keeping my grades as high as I can, I feel a lot of stress and pressure every day. I know, however, that it definitely doesn’t get easier than this, because the stakes are much higher when it will come down to providing for my family. I know that if I can’t handle the stress and anxiety now, it will be very hard for me to handle it later on. All I can do now is try to get as comfortable as I can and keep a positive view on things because no matter what, your outlook on any situation can change everything.

Back when we were in elementary school, coloring between the lines was our biggest stress. Then in high school, it was making sure we had a social life and getting good grades. Towards the end of high school, it was getting accepted to college. As we grow older, the stress becomes accompanied by anxiety and angst due to the coming-of-age process. Now that we are in college, our anxieties are related towards getting accepted to university, maintaining good grades, having a social life, finding a job… and making sure we still color between the lines.

http://www.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk/p/i-can-t-keep-calm-because-i-have-anxiety-9/

http://she.sulekha.com/teenage-stress_12_2011_postedby_ipshitav