Oh, to be a kid again; endless energy, lack of responsibility, and an undying shamelessness in being yourself. Life is amazing, until a new emotion settles in: anxiety.
Look at any North student, and you will see an insecure student. It could be something as substantial as their weight, or something intangible like their social skills. It’s human nature to have something you’re not proud of, but what can be done to combat this pandemic?
There are a multitude of reasons surrounding this crisis, many of which developed in childhood. For example, the phrase “I want to be just like you” is a damning statement. By outwardly expressing this desire, whether a joke or not, creates an expectation for both the speaker and the receiver; the speaker wants to live up to the receiver while the receiver believes they must continue to meet the expectations of the speaker.
This creates a never ending circle, where those false expectations generate pressure, and pressure produces anxiety, which in turn creates higher expectations.
Much of this is thanks to social media. It’s also human nature to compare yourself with others. When other teens, influencers and celebrities are growing their personal brand and showing their highlights, it naturally makes us question ourselves, and why our life isn’t as perfect as theirs. What we don’t realize is that everybody is struggling behind this exacerbating facade, whether it’s the popular girl down the street or Livvy Dunne.
It’s incredibly crucial, especially at the high school level, to have pride and confidence in yourself; however, if it was easy, everyone would do it. So, how can a student be more confident?
It starts with a hard look in the mirror; take pride in your strengths, but be cognizant of your flaws and embrace them with open arms. Be confident in yourself and your beliefs, but also be open-minded towards others; nobody is always correct.
Admittedly, this is not always easy to do, because it’s incredibly difficult to be confident in yourself. This is especially true in high school due to an insurmountable fear of being judged, ridiculed and rejected. If only people knew this judging would always happen, but not for long.
You’ll be judged, yes, but most of these people you’ll never see again in a few years. Plus, everybody is too worried about preening themselves to even remember that time you faceplanted in the hallway.
There is a very big difference between confidence and hubris, though, and too many high schoolers often mistake the terms. Both are in relation to self-esteem, but confidence is the belief in one’s own abilities and having a positive self image. Arrogance, on the other hand, is a narcissistic take on confidence, a belief that they are superior to the people around them.
Oftentimes, the more pompous someone is, the more raging insecurities they have beneath the surface. As the saying goes, “hurt people hurt people.” Pride is the median between self-deprecation and overconfidence.
It’s hard to develop pride. There’s no denying that. But, by taking small steps towards self-esteem and self-worth without anxiety, the confidence of the student body can return.
