Even The Most Intelligent Girls Suffer From Anxiety

Even the most intelligent girls suffer from anxiety and overstress and panic attacks.

They know that some of their fears are unfounded, that they are nonsensical and silly. They don’t want to worry about whether they are going to be late for work or how hard it’s going to be to merge onto the highway. They don’t want to keep thinking about that stupid thing they said yesterday or how long it’s taking their supposed friend to answer their last text.

They don’t want anxiety to stop them from saying yes to important job interviews and to make them feel nervous before presentations where they need to land an A.

They don’t want their anxiety to distract them from their goals — because they are smart enough to make something of themselves. They have what it takes to reach their dreams.

But their anxiety gets in the way of that.

Even though they have common sense, even though the rational part of their brain is telling them everything is going to be okay, they can’t stop their anxiety. It is out of their control.

And intelligent girls are used to being in control. They are used to acting logically instead of emotionally. They are used to making decisions based on reason.

But their anxiety alters their thought process. It makes them leave an hour earlier than they need to and sit in the parking lot so that they aren’t late.

It makes them keep their hand down in class even when they know the answer because they’re worried about speaking in public.

It makes them pick up an extra drink when they know they should stop because they want to feel more comfortable at a party.

It makes them replay conversations in their mind again and again to make sure they didn’t say anything too embarrassing.

Even though these girls are intelligent, their anxiety can make them feel stupid. It can make them stutter when they’re talking about a topic they are knowledgable about. It can make them fidget and avoid looking people in the eye. It can make them come across like they are helpless when that’s not the truth at all.

Their anxiety can destroy their confidence. It can make them doubt their own intelligence.

But, even though anxiety is a major issue in their life, it isn’t always obvious to everyone around them. Sometimes, no one even notices what they are suffering from, because they hide it so well behind nice clothes and fake smiles.

Others might not realize it, but even the most intelligent girls, the girls who appear to be put together, the girls who act like they have everything figured out, might suffer from anxiety. They might hide in the bathroom and bawl their eyes out so you don’t notice their pain.

They might hyperventilate in the car before joining you for brunch so you think they are fine once they get inside. They might stay up until 3 AM thinking about all of the ways tomorrow could go wrong so they can avoid looking awkward.

You can never tell who is silently suffering from anxiety. But that means that you never realize how many people are just like you. You never really see that you are not alone.