Master's Reading and Writing, Overcoming Anxiety

 By Nate Feldman

Vocabulary:

anxiety   jittery     kicked myself   take a crack at    wavering 

1. I feel ___________________when I speak in front of people.  It scares me a lot.

2. I _____________________for not going to the game because all of my friends had so much fun.

3. Right now, I am __________________between going to NYC or Florida this weekend.

4. I want to _____________________at making my own movie. 

5. Some people get a bit ____________________and shake when they have too much coffee.

When I was young, my friend said he wanted to travel to India with him.  He said he wanted to go and see the Taj Mahal.  Of course, the idea of going to such a far away land seemed really exhilarating.  But, the closer we got to going, the more anxiety I began to feel.  I woke up in sweats thinking of what kind of problems I would have there.  Perhaps I would get sick.  Maybe the culture shock would be too big for me.  I began to waver on whether I should go or not.  Unfortunately, I turned down the offer, and my friend went without me and with other people.  And from the pictures they showed me, they had a real blast there. 

Of course, I ended up spending the summer in the United States working at a summer camp.  This was fun, but I really began kicking myself for not going because the experience would have been so amazing.  After that, I vowed if I had an opportunity like that again, I wouldn’t turn it down.

Many years later, I began doing theatre at my university.  I really was passionate about acting and thought I would like to become a professional.  Of course, I began to get nervous again because I realized that it is a very difficult field to become a professional in.  Once again, I got the butterflies in my stomach thinking about my future goals.  Would I make enough money?  Would I be able to support myself without my parents’ help? 

The problem was when I thought of a life where I didn’t act, it gave me a sinking feeling.  I could feel myself getting jittery thinking of a life where I had to do something I really didn't care about.  So, I decided I would take a crack at becoming an actor even if people around me were not sure I could be successful at this.  This was a very difficult decision, but I know deep down in my gut it was the best thing for me.  So, I am glad I learned to confront anxiety and not let it take control of me.