Anxiety in Fashion
Image retrieved from Future Learn
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, 31.1% of adults in the U.S. will experience some type of anxiety disorder in their lives. Unfortunately, I happen to be one of the people included in that percentage, and it is something I have struggled with my whole life. Being a fashion major in college definitely did not make it any easier to handle. Considering how fast-paced and important the fashion industry is, jumping into that field sounds terrifying for someone who struggles with anxiety. Especially if you struggle with social or public speaking anxiety, which happens to be my specialty.
College is difficult for everyone. You deal with projects, work, tests, presentations, making friends, along with a billion other things that are determined to stress you out. Adding anxiety on top of that seems like it would be too much for any one person to handle. As a fashion major, the professors hold you to a high standard in order to prepare you for the real world, and to me it seemed like everyone I went to school with was an extrovert and had so much knowledge of the industry already. Personally, it made me feel almost inferior to everyone else, especially since my anxiety made presenting and speaking, as well as making friends difficult.
So how do you fix these feelings and get rid of your anxiety? The not-so-hopeful answer that I’ve found is: ……you cannot get rid of anxiety completely. There are so many techniques and advice people will give you, and I myself have tried many of them. The reality is, everyone is different and what works for others might not work for you, and even the ones that work for you may not cure your anxiety. The key is learning to cope with it and control it in order to not let it control you.
The World Is Not as Your Anxiety Sees It
One thing I learned over my years is college is that things may be different than the way you or your anxiety might see it. For instance, I thought that everyone in my major was so outgoing and confident and that I seemed to be the only one who struggled with the things we were asked to do. I’ve come to realize that that is sooo not true. Plenty of other people struggle with mental health and anxiety even if you can’t see it. This brings me to the next very important point.
People Don’t Notice as Much as You Think They Do
When you feel anxious, sometimes it can seem as though everyone notices your nervousness and your mistakes (which they probably don’t). Once, I was practicing with my group for a presentation and I was so nervous about speaking, and it seemed like everyone else in the group was confident and did so well with their part. I later found out from one of my group members that she was also extremely anxious and my first thought was “Wow, I had no idea, she did so well!”. People can tell you that everyone experiences anxiety and nervousness, but it is so much more eye opening when you can see an example and experience it yourself.
As Basic as It Might Be, TRY THE TECHNIQUES
5-Second Breathing
In for 5 seconds, hold for 5 seconds, out for 5 seconds
Alternate Nostril Breathing
Close one nostril with your thumb and breathe in, switch nostrils and breathe out
333 Rule
3 things you can see, 3 things you can hear, 3 things you can touch
These are just a few examples of the many techniques out there, and it is all about testing out which ones work best for you.
The biggest takeaway from this is understanding that despite what you might think, everyone is in pretty much the same boat going through the same things. Everyone has struggles and everyone deals with their own personal obstacles that you might not even notice. Even people in the fashion industry are constantly learning and evolving and doing things out of their comfort zone. Try something new, apply for a job you aren’t totally confident in, because you will never grow if you aren’t doing something that pushes your limits.