Emily Crawford
As someone who has dealt with generalized anxiety disorder for the past 4 years, this poem stemmed from not having read any poems about the inner thoughts of someone who goes through anxiety on a daily basis. You often hear poems about people with depression, or people who are suicidal, but it’s not often that you get to step into the mind of someone with an anxiety disorder. People with an anxiety disorder, such as myself, are often told to “chill” or “not be so worried all the time”; but as you’ll find out in my poem, it is not really that easy.
How to Love an Anxious Person
How to love an anxious person…
Tread lightly
Don’t make any sudden movements
When she asks you every hour if you’re mad at her, say no
Even if you are
If you compliment her, be gentle
Don’t be too descriptive
It will only make her more paranoid that you notice so many things
You’ve probably already noticed her flaws
Like her crooked nose
Or her weird laugh
Or how she says the word sorry and you’ll hear that word a lot because when she isn’t talkative for awhile
She’ll apologize
Because it’s her fault that she doesn’t like winter and it’s too cold to do anything other than walk in silence
Because really she’s annoying as hell anyway and you only talk to her because she’s pretty
Right?
She’s quiet because she’s trying not to slip on the ice all around her
She’s clumsy enough as it is
She trips over words
Stumbles over sentences
Can’t seem to stop falling into awkward situations where the only thing that manages to escape from her mouth is
Sorry
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