Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, fear and anxiety have increased in teenagers. 

According to healthline.com, one in three teen girls and one in five teen boys ‘have experienced new or worsening anxiety’ during the pandemic. 

There are students at Rose Hill High School who have battled with this, even before the pandemic began. 

Senior Kennedy Olson has struggled with anxiety since she was in middle school. 

“I think I’ve always had anxiety since I was a little kid and then around middle school it started to get really bad,” said Olson, “But mostly it’s just presenting and talking to people in large crowds.”

To relieve some stress, Olson said she likes to listen to music, go on runs, or color. For people like her who have anxiety talking in large crowds, she said to set goals that are achievable first. 

“Set small goals for yourself so you’re not totally isolating yourself, like talking in class once or twice or presenting a little bit in a small group before you do it in front of the whole class,” said Olson.

Kevin Ledezma has taken the more logical route when it comes to where the stress comes from. 

“I think about a lot of things throughout the day like the way people speak and that helps me with stress because it distracts me from being so stressed about other things,” said Ledezma. “The thing with anxiety is that you really only have yourself to be worrying about; if you’re in a crowded room and you get scared, it’s because you make yourself scared. Sure, things might happen, but you put yourself in that scared mentality. It’s all about the way you see things.”

Jillian Rockley, a senior at RHHS, has also dealt with anxiety and has explored various ways to manage it. 

“I cope with stress by journaling, or crying it out,” said Rockley. “When I’m anxious, I tend to work on grounding myself and focusing on what I can control rather than focusing on the variables I can’t control.”

Rockley had a piece of advice for teens who struggle with anxiety. 

“I would let them know that their thoughts are valid and that they’ll be okay in the end,” said Rockely. “They are not their anxious thoughts and they will find peace.”