They all tell you
The same thing
The therapists:
“Breathe
Ground yourself
Take a deep breath in
And a deep breath out”
In
Out
In
Out
8:00 am
Bell rings
Breaks my foundation
Or at least dents it
In
Out
In
Out
I tell people
Drama is my favorite class
But I have to act in every class:
I HAVE done all the work I need to
I DIDN’T fail that math test
I LIKE that movie
All lies
I’m a good actor
In
Out
In
Out
I like the rides home best
When there is a reason
Why I can’t
Do what they tell me to
Even better than the car
Are the people who aren't
With me every day
Five years ago:
My biggest fear
Was walking up the street
Knocking on their door
Often run home crying
Still scares me
I watch my footsteps
One step
Then two
One
Two
One
Two
In
Out
In
Out
It’s easier now
To be with them
They don’t know
What I need to do
What claws at me
Most think it’s weird
One hundred people
Don’t scare me
But walking in
A bag of food
In one hand
For the class to eat
That horrifies me
One
Two
One
Two
In
Out
In
Out
Here it is
distress or uneasiness of mind caused by fear of danger or misfortune
earnest but tense desire; eagerness
a state of apprehension and psychic tension occurring in some forms of mental disorder
But that does not define it
It can’t
Not the raging racing heart
Not the tears that seem to paint your face
Not the breathing that should be going
In
Out
In
Out
In reality
it goes all at once
In out in out in out in out
Like a beating drum
That is my anxiety
It will always be
Matter where I am
But I won’t let it stop me
Because I am brave
So I don’t need to be fearless
I’ll remember to breathe
(In
Out
In
Out)
I WILL be alright
(and that is not a lie)
Hi Frappuccino,
ReplyDeleteWow, this is good! I love the pictures of shoes they are simple but also say a lot and work with your piece. I like how poetic this and its just so good! How did you come up with this as a blog post?
-FoxelephantVioleta
Hi FoxelephantVioleta,
DeleteI thought of the idea of using anxiety for my blog post topic because I write best when i right poetry, and poetry is best when it comes from the heart. You know want I mean? Anxiety is a real life feeling the I have so it easy to work with.
Frappuccino
Hi Frappuccino,
DeleteI get it, when you write it like poetry it's a good way to express what you really want to say. What is your own defintion of anxiety? I loved reading this!
-SlinkyMuffin
SlinkyMuffin,
DeleteI guess I don't really know how to define it for everyone, but for me it is like when I'm stressed or embraced and those feelings keep coming, do you a definition you use when you think of anxiety?
Frappuccino
Hi Frappuccino,
ReplyDeleteI like how you used poetry in such a way to express your emotions and your thoughts. I really enjoyed how you used the repeated phrase (In Out In Out) throughout your poem. I also love how you used so many pictures of your shoes to kind of tie in with your emotions and thoughts. What made you decide to use shoes in your blog post?
-Teeny Tiny Fury
Hi Teeny Tiny Fury,
DeleteThat is a really good question. The reason why I used the shoes is because when ever I am feeling anxious and I am doing some thing I don't want to do, I just stare down at my feet and watch my footsteps. Do you have anything like that that helps you deal with stress?
Frappuccino
Yeah, often times when I get stressed I while on my breathing until I calm down, and then I will get some water. BTW, I thought the shoes were a really interesting and important touch to your poem.
Delete-Teeny Tiny Fury :)
Hi Frappuccino,
ReplyDeletethank you for talking about this, yours really stuck with me, anxiety is a big thing for everyone, so it is nice that you talked about it. I enjoyed the end "i will be alright" because you are so insightful and awesome to listen to. How old were you when you has started gaining this fear?
Bananabunny
Hi Bananabunny,
DeleteI don't know exactly how old I was when I started to have anxiety, I have felt anxiety for as long I can remember, I didn't know I had anxiety until fifth grade though.
Frappuccino
hi Frappuccino,
ReplyDeletethank you a lot for this blog post. this made me think about my life as well. I know I have also felt anxiety on occasions, yet I would say that I HAVE ANXIETY. I believe there is a difference, what would you say?
thanks,
liv
Hi Liv,
DeleteI would totally say that there is a difference between feeling anxious from time to time and having anxiety. For one people with anxiety feel anxious pretty much everyday, and other people don't anxious as much. I can't speak for every one with anxiety, but I know that the smallest things get me (even though preforming doesn't get me at all). What would you say, do you think there is a big difference?
Frappuccino
Hi Frappuccino,
ReplyDeleteThis piece is incredibly meaningful, and really speaks to me. I can tell that you wrote from your heart, and this poem really conveys your feelings and experiences. It helps me see anxiety in the little ways that I haven't though of previously. The use of repetition, "in out in out," gives the poem a really nice theme and also reminds the reader that "in out in out" is a part of every day for you, and is something that you think of a lot. Do you think that your anxiety is something that has always been with you since you were young, or do you think it was influenced by peer pressure and stereotypes or just other images of "who to be"?
Thank you,
FieryFeatherKitten
FieryFeatherKitten,
DeleteI'm so glad you enjoyed this piece. I'm glad you asked this question, I think when I was younger I had more anxiety around talking on the phone or seeing if my friends were around, but now the things that get more have to do more with fitting in or homework, and I think that peer pressure has effected that change a little, but mainly time and age.
Frappuccino
Dear Frappucino,
ReplyDeleteFirstly, I really enjoyed how you decided to write a poem instead of a paragraph formed piece. I thought it was really good and the form added to the piece. I can tell that you have experience writing and clearly also quite a bit of talent. I liked how you took a risk to write about this topic. Everyone has their fears and many people suffer from anxiety. Most people, like you described yourself, cover it up. However, I thought that it was really cool that you stepped out of your comfort zone and describing what it is like. I was wondering when you started embracing your anxiety (owning it instead of letting it own you)?
Cordially,
ABellPepper
Dear AbellPepper,
DeleteThank you for kind words. To answer your question I don't think I have ever had full control over my anxiety, but it got a lot better around fifth grade, because or at least I think I started hanging out with a different group of friends who I felt more comfortable with and who support me better then my old friends.
Frappuccino
Dear Frappuccino,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the poetry you wrote and I really like al the pictures you have of shoes. And I liked your perspective of it all. I'm almost speechless about your blog. I loved it. What is your biggest fear now if you don't mind saying?
Amazing work!
-PortugueseGrape
PortugueseGrape,
DeleteI'm glad you enjoyed my poem. To answer your question I don't really have "biggest fear," I think my biggest fear what is stressing me out in the current moment (which sometime isn't scary, just stressful). Do you know what I mean? Like whatever I'm focusing on is bothering me the most.
Frapppuccino
Dear Frappuccino,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your piece. I could really connect with the feeling of being anxious. The way that you phrased your poem and how you kept repeating the in, out part was really powerful, because I know how that feels. I also loved the pictures of shoes - it was really simple, but tied into your piece nicely. How do you manage anxiety?
Sincerely,
Abigail
Abigail,
DeleteI'm glad you found my writing enjoyable. Since you asked the question, here is how I manage my anxiety: I focus on something (such as breathing, my foot steps, music, things like that), or I talk some one, or call/text one of my friends (but not about my anxiety, about something else). I hope that answers your question.
Frappuccino
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHi Frappuccino,
ReplyDeleteI really liked reading your piece and I thought it was really meaningful and had a lot of hard work put in it. Your poem was really powerful and I think it is relatable to lots of people. Have you made up your own ways to deal with anxiety? If so, what are they and what do you advise others to do?
Great Job,
Soccer is Life
Frappuccino,
ReplyDeleteI could really feel what you were feeling during those moments that you wrote about. Maybe I didn't really feel extactly what you were feeling, but I have had some moments like yours. It was very brave of you to wrote about something so personal and let anyone see it, read, and comment on it. I could never do that, ever. It was relatable and one of the best poems that I have read.
I'm not an expert on anxiety and things like it, so a question that I have is, is there something that triggers reactiosn like this? Is there maybe an event that tramatizes in a way to make people react to certain sistuations like this?
I love you blog post, the pictues and most of all of course the poem.
Love,
MM_Z
hi frappucino,
ReplyDeletei thought your post was really well written and i really enjoyed your poetic style, are there things you would suggest to somebody going through this?
-gracie :)
Hi frappucino,
ReplyDeleteI love your post I think it covers a lot of stuff we don't talk about. What would you suggest to someone going through stuff like this?