hi! i was wondering if i have anxiety but i don’t really want to talk to my parents about it like i feel that there’s so many signs but idk maybe im tricking myself into thinking that i have anxiety like i my legs are really restless and they do the jumping thingy, i pick my nails and cuticles, i have hand tremors soemtimes, i can’t sleep, feel tired the whole day, can’t talk to people like i sometimes can’t oder food, i get easily annoyed, my eczema flares and i bite the inside of my lip and the skin of my lip like i gnaw on it until it breaks the skin sometimes and my shoulders always hold some type of tension. i did a quiz recommended to me online (ikik it’s not reliable) I did a gad-7 and i got a score of 12. idk my grades aren’t that good and i think I need help.
Hi there! Thanks for sharing and taking the first step to seek help and clarity!!
It does sound like there’s some physiological manifestations of anxious feelings - but it’s best to seek professional opinion on this! Would you happen to have access to school counsellors or therapists to further discuss these symptoms that you are facing?
That aside, I would like to assure you that your feelings are real - so let’s dive a bit deeper into them. Has there been triggering events lately?
maybe school? these symptoms have been around most of my life but they were just not that prominent as they are now
Hey @blah. Thank you for being so open. It takes courage to notice your feelings and even more to share it here.
Restlessness, biting, sleep trouble, tension, even the eczema flare-ups… those could be the way our body is signaling to us that we’re overwhelmed. So, you’re not imagining this. But just the fact that you’re paying attention to what your body and mind are trying to tell you says a lot about your self-awareness. That’s something to be proud of.
The GAD-7 can be a helpful starting point (even if you’re unsure it’s reliable), but it’s not the full picture. Still, your score tells me that it might be worth speaking to someone, even if it’s just to get clarity and support for what you’re already going through.
You mentioned you’re unsure about talking to your parents. That’s valid too. Sometimes it’s hard to open up when we’re not sure how it’ll land.
Do you think there’s a teacher, school counsellor, or another trusted adult you might feel more comfortable starting with? Sometimes just starting a conversation even if it’s just "I’ve been feeling off for a while and I’m not sure what it means" can help open doors to support. You don’t need to have it all figured out to deserve help.
You’re not alone in this, and I just want to say that how you’re noticing, naming, and reaching out is already a brave step forward 
hey @blah,
first of all — thank you for being brave enough to post this. it really sounds like you’re going through a lot physically and mentally right now. the fact that you’re noticing these patterns (like biting your lips, not being able to sleep, feeling tense, avoiding ordering food) already tells me you’ve got a deep level of self-awareness 
i want to gently say this — you’re not tricking yourself. anxiety can be confusing because it often feels like we’re overthinking or making things up… but our body doesn’t lie. things like hand tremors, restlessness, biting skin, and even eczema flaring up — they can all be ways our body is saying, “i’m not okay.”
you mentioned scoring 12 on the GAD-7 — it’s not a diagnosis, but it is a sign that it’s okay to ask for support. not because you’re weak or overreacting — but because your mind and body are asking for help.
i hear you don’t feel ready to talk to your parents, and that’s okay. you don’t have to start there. maybe you can speak to a school counsellor or someone you trust. even just having someone validate what you’re going through can make a world of difference.
and about your grades — i know it’s hard not to link everything to how well we perform. but struggling in school doesn’t mean something is wrong with you. it just means you’re overwhelmed right now, and your nervous system is on alert 24/7. no one functions at 100% under that kind of stress.
you’re not alone in this. you’re not broken. and you deserve support, just as you are 
if you ever want to talk more here, we are listening. sending you gentleness today 
These observations are a great start!
This might not work for everyone, but have you tried journaling your feelings of anxiety?
When we journal, it’s less about writing and recording, but really taking pause in your day to quieten the noise in your head and showing up just for yourself and nobody/anything else.
You can set aside even 15min of your time, where you put away your phone, find a spot where no one will disturb you, and just write down whatever’s on your mind - it could be a reflection of your day, a hypothesis to what made you anxious today, what made you smile… all these entries become data points for you to look back on, and most importantly, a source of strength because you get to witness how much you have persevered, how far you’ve come!
Let us know if you end up trying it! Or we can even have these moments of reflections right here, and I’ll be here to witness 