The Courage of Children: Boston and Beyond XXXI

Emily Ryan
Jaclyn Poremski, Teacher
St. Agatha School, Milton, MA
Courage is when people conquer their fears and struggles. I think that
courage is an amazing thing to have because it makes people feel good when
they overcome their fears or struggles. In this essay, I will explain about how I
have courage at times when I am struggling with my anxiety.
I have been struggling with anxiety for about three and a half years now, and
sometimes it is hard because I don’t know why I am nervous to begin with. I
always try to do things that help with my anxiety, such as yoga. I also try to do
things that will distract me from it, like hanging out with my friends, hanging
out with my family, playing basketball, playing softball, and more. Yet my
anxiety still makes me scared or makes me not want to do the things that I
love. Sometimes the distractions that I use don’t help; it is just too much. That
is when I have to find the courage and strength to overcome whatever I am
afraid of, or whatever is making me nervous and stressed out.
“I always try to have
courage when I have
anxiety because I
know I am bigger and
better than this...”
Most of the time I have to realize that I am bigger and better than the anxiety,
and that I can’t let it get in the way of doing the things that I love to do. I want
to hang out with my friends and family, and I want to play basketball, softball,
and the other sports that I play. Those things make me happy and joyful, and
I don’t like it when my anxiety gets in the way of doing the things that I love.
When my anxiety happens, like when I’m in a large crowd of people, or if I
am nervous about literally anything else that my mind could possibly make
me nervous about, I have to overcome it. I have to have the courage to follow
through with everything that I like to do, have to do, or that I don’t want to
do. I can’t let this get in the way of the things that I have made commitments
to: school, sports, and after school activities. I also love to help people and
make them happy, but I can’t do this if I don’t feel like I can. That’s just
another thing that happens when I get anxiety; I doubt myself and question
whether or not I can do things. So when I am trying to help people, make
people happy, playing sports, or doing an assignment in school, I question
if I can do these things that I have done before. I always try to have courage
when I have anxiety because I know I am bigger and better than this and that
I need to always have the courage to help me through it. In conclusion, I have
courage when I overcome my anxiety.
The Courage of Children: Boston and Beyond
Volume XXXI
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