Nervousness,
Worry,
Anxiety,
all synonyms of the one word that haunts me.
Stress.
Many teenagers deal with this,
especially those in high school.
Stress becomes even more overwhelming with
expectations set as high as the Empire State Building,
for one scared student.
Friends, family, and teachers all presume you will get A honor roll,
as you usually do.
Little do they know,
this is all eating you alive.
Not just pressure from good grades but,
homework,
GPA,
class rank,
even talking in front of your peers.
They expect you to graduate at the top of your class,
go to a good college,
get a degree,
and work for the rest of your life.
I start to wonder if this is really what
I want to do,
or what they say I should do.
Is all of this stress really worth it?
Am I making a bigger deal of things?
I can’t be the only one who feels this way,
right?
But they tell me I’m overreacting,
that I just need to
relax.
Some things are easier said than done.
How am I supposed to relax,
when your expectations continue to be shoved down my throat?
This constant feeling of worry has me gnawing at my fingernails till there is nothing left,
sending me into shakes,
and crying myself to sleep some nights.
Is all of this really worth it?
I just cope with of this
to make them happy.
I’m not so sure about myself.