An Illustration of Anxiety in the Perks of Being a Wallflower

Outgoing and punctual, honey colored eyes and hair neatly styled with curls, dressed in a Brooks Brothers suit and sleek, black heels, Anxiety is the picture for success (Periodic). Anxiety shares a common obstacle with her friend, Stress. Anxiety and Stress are full time students striving to become lawyers for the most prestigious law firms in America. She is afraid to miss a class so she goes even when she is covered in her snot from 3 days before; she always arrives 30 minutes earlier just to prevent ever being late.

Anxiety never misses deadlines or falls short in a given task. During midterms and finals, she spends most of her time studying with Stress, and Depression will pop in once in a while. They don’t get along anymore since Depression is the reason Anxiety doesn’t see Hope anymore. She would stop talking to Depression but Anxiety is submissive to her. When she isn’t studying, Anxiety spends her time with her boyfriend, Ignorance (Add on).

He is no better than her last lover, Dishonest. She does not really tolerate that Ignorance is close minded, but is afraid of a failing relationship and disappointing her family again. She should really go for men like Reassurance or Compassion. She lost her dad, Peace, and since then she has never been the same. Anxiety has had a hard time feeling sane again.

Many people unknowingly generalize the meaning of anxiety to some of the most common symptoms— apprehensive uneasiness, a mentally distressing concern, or simply the body’s natural response to stress (Dash).

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Although it seems that anyone can have occasional anxiety when going to a new school or starting a job, anxiety is an intense, debilitating disorder that interferes with daily activities (Lead in). Anxiety is not just the usual breakdown you get when stress turns into a constant nightmare you live day to day. It is much deeper than a moment, and the things that make up anxiety are constantly overlooked: the shortness of breath that makes someone feel like they are drowning into their own life and can’t find control over it, the constant fight against oneself and sleep, battling with their own mind to shut down for a second after hours of over thinking and contemplating whether what they do will ever be good enough; they stand in a crowd of happy people but silently tremble, praying they don’t vomit, and worry that they are being watched from every angle (List and semicolon). The life they have created for themselves is no longer in their power.

With an open mind, Harry Dean Stanton gives a helpful insight of anxiety and states, “The void, the concept of nothingness, is terrifying to most people on the planet. And I get anxiety attacks myself. I know the fear of that void. You have to learn to die before you die. You give up, surrender to the void, to nothingness.” He is protecting those who do not get to express their abstract thoughts and feelings about anxiety and the constant overthinking that comes from it. Anxiety makes people feel powerless in situations that are absolutely impossible to control. They lose faith because of the fear they have towards the void. The constant need of reassurance becomes overwhelming when questions cannot be explained and plans do not play out. There are constant “what if’s” and “I can’t do this anymore.” It is like the monster that lives under your bed, but it holds onto you with a tight grip wherever you go (Simile). Anxiety builds walls too high to ever get across to the safe haven.

There is a common confusion between anxiety and being nervous; although they both seem fairly similar, they have their differences. Being nervous can feel like a passing worry of an upcoming event, but once it is over the nerves are gone. A numerous amount of people have moments of feeling anxious, but most fall short from being diagnosed. Nervousness can cause sweaty palms and stomaches to start aching. There tends to not be any compulsive behavior linked with being nervous, but a person who has anxiety can experience repetitive movements, social isolation, or repetition of own words. Anyone can be nervous on their first day of school or speaking in front of a crowd, but anxiety is clinical and therefore it will be affect a person’s ability to work, attendance in school, and having solid relationships with family and friends. It starts to consume a person’s life, causing them to lose faith, making them feel less than nothing, having a constant emotional gloom that hovers over their agitated body (Loose). Anyone you surround yourself with or encounter on a daily basis can be experience this type of emotional bruising without you knowing. You would never imagine that the man you sit next to on the bus everyday, and talk to about your daily life struggles, your beloved dog, and complicated marriage, actually suffers from anxiety disorder.

Anxiety is the silent devil that we tend to overlook. In the movie and novel “The Perks of Being a Wallflower”, a 15 year old boy, Charlie, had experiences the loss of his best friend from suicide and deals with PTSD from his previous sexual abuse committed by his aunt. Since then he has had trouble having normal, social interactions. Charlie grows up shy and sheltered, fearing the scrutiny of his peers. His social anxiety keeps him from living his life like a normal teenager, but no one knows why he was always isolating himself. When his friends and family are finally aware of his disorders they are able to connect and show empathy. It is important to always be mindful that the purest, nonchalant people in your life can be the ones suffering the most. Anxiety is often called “fake” or some say, “only adults with real problems experience it,” so it is your responsibility to show they the abstract meaning.