Anxietyrevs up your
body and changes
how you feel. Your
heart beats faster and
your muscles tense up.
Is your skin sweaty? Is your
stomach tied in knots? Do
your legs feel like rubber
bands? That’s anxiety
at work, too.
3. Anxiety can affect
what you do in an instant.
A heartbeat ago, you were
strolling through the woods,
humming along to your
favorite song. And
now you are . . .
running like crazy!
r
run
n
i
ng
like
cra
zy
!
The anxiety alarm can still kick in even if you’re not fleeing wild animals.
An ordinary thing like a visit to the dentist can set it off if you’re worried
enough. And the science test Mr. Baake is giving—the one that counts
for a third of your grade? Or the party that your karate teammate is
throwing—where you’re sure you won’t know a soul? Those could trip
the alarm, too.
Anxiety is your own personal bodyguard. It rallies to keep you safe
from anything that’s scary to you.
go, fight, win!
No girl likes the way she feels
when she’s worried or afraid.
But anxiety isn’t all bad.
When worry focuses your
thoughts, it can help you zero in
on anything that’s really important
at home or school. When it revs
up your body, it can give you a
burst of energy.
The good thing about worry is
that it can push you to do what
needs to get done.
Get busy!
Stay focused!
Do your best!
So when you’re worried, maybe you can put those feelings
to use. Try asking yourself: “What, exactly, is nagging at me?
Is there something I can do about it?”
If you feel like you ate a bowl of butterflies two days before
the Spanish vocabulary quiz, that feeling might be telling
you to put away your MP3 player and get out the flash cards.
That headache you get whenever you think about your piano
recital or a swim meet might be reminding you to practice a
little more, try a little harder.
If there’s something you can do about what’s worrying you,
the surest cure is to just do it. Now. If worry can get you
going, it’s on your side.
out of control
The problem comes when worry spins out of
control. Here’s how it works: Our thoughts create
our feelings. Then our feelings lead to actions,
and those actions create more thoughts. It’s a
loop. In stressful times, anxiety can take hold and
build on itself till it takes on a life all its own.
W
ha
t
y
o
u
do
W
ha
t
y
ou
u
thi
i
ink
W
ha
t
y
ou
f
ee
l
What
if . . . ?
It’s for
sure going to
happen!
I feel
ashamed
and sad.
It’s
hopeless.
