Teen Mental Illness Poem

Poem About Social Anxiety

I'm 20 years old and have been suffering from anxiety and social anxiety for seven years. It has affected my life in such a way that I cannot make friends, drive, or have a job. I graduated home school in 2012 because public school was just too much for me. Every day I struggle to date, I struggle to breathe, I struggle to have a life beyond the bed and couch. I take Prozac, and I see a therapist, but sometimes even their motivation isn't enough.

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I actually struggle with minor social anxiety and this really is how it is. I have scars on my arm from where I scratched it off in a panic attack about people looking at me. To be honest,...

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Anxiety

Published: September 2015

Anxiety,
I'm miserable because of you,
making plans and not following through.

You have me feeling as though I am alone.
I don't feel safe unless I'm at home.

I see a stranger on the street,
want to say hi but too scared to speak.

What are they staring at?
Something must be wrong...
Is there a stain on my shirt?
Is my nose too long?

I'm shaking, find an exit, I must retreat!
Here they come! Here they come!
Quick, I must flee!

People keep telling me that I am fine
but I am not,
not in my mind.

A lump in my throat makes it so hard to swallow.
Pains in my chest consume me with sorrow.
I lay awake, restless, hoping maybe,
just maybe this will all be gone
tomorrow.

Stories 4
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Rating 4.45

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Has this poem touched you? Share your story!

by Brianna Dawson
5 months ago

I actually struggle with minor social anxiety and this really is how it is. I have scars on my arm from where I scratched it off in a panic attack about people looking at me. To be honest, it's really scary. It's kind of nice knowing I'm not the only one.

by Amber J
4 years ago

I love this poem but wished it were longer and it was actually like you were having a conversation with anxiety. Nevertheless, this is an amazing poem and so relatable.

by Nicole
4 years ago

I find this poem to be so inspirational and so true to what I have gone through! I like where it said I must find an exit quick that's how I feel at school when I panic. Thank You for sharing this:)

by Shishir Kumar Goel
6 years ago

Expression of feelings in poems by someone suffering from anxiety is helpful in coping up with the same and I am sure medication will help the writer get well soon. I too suffered from the complications of this menace but once the problem was identified it was possible to manage it with appropriate medical help and pass a normal life with certain changes particularly through the control of unbridled personal ambitions. I encourage the writer to write more poems about his feelings and tell him that he is not alone.