Conquering Fear and Anxiety: The school years

It was a quaint little building at the far end of the school yard, much like the gingerbread house in the century’s old tale of Hansel and Gretel. It was my first day in grade one at all-age school, and my aunt, hand in hand, guided me up the little steps to my classroom. Tiny peering eyes looked up at me, some sobbing and crying, while others had a solemn and gloomy look on their faces.

It seemed none of them wanted to be there, and much like what would happen to me in the next few minutes, we were missing our family and our home. A short and petite woman appeared from behind a desk, and spoke to my aunt. For her small frame and stature, her voice boomed across the classroom. At one point, I looked around to ensure that deep baritone sound was in fact coming from her mouth.  Now I was scared!

She took my hand from my aunt and led me to a round table and a tiny chair. I sat down! There were other children at the table, and they were all crying profusely. I felt a lump in my throat, but held back the tears. Solemnly, I placed my lunch pan on the desk, and rested my head on it. Perhaps I had fallen asleep, but the next thing I heard was that voice, and I am sure she was calling my name.

I looked up, as she circled the classroom, with a book in one hand, and a ruler and a pen in the next. This was going to be a long year I thought and fidgeted uncomfortably in my seat. It turned out her bark wasn’t as bad as her bite, and after the first week I settled in quite well. She genuinely cared for us, and helped us with all our lessons.

As with most students, there were those who were determined to misbehave and disrupt the class, and she had none of it. They were punished and sent to the naughty corner quite often, and a couple of times, their parents or guardian had to come in.

It was fun running around the old building, during our break time, and often we would venture towards the main school buildings where the older children were. Sometimes we went around to where the vendors were selling, curious to actually see what they had in their stalls. I didn’t get lunch money, so I wasn’t able to buy anything, but I looked anyway!

There were lots of sweets and snacks of many variety, and children’s toys. Often by the time we were ready to go home, these stalls were near empty and the vendors were hastily refilling them for the afternoon students. One of my classmates, her mother was one of the vendors, and briefly before or after school depending the shift we were on, we would congregate at her stall, laughing and sharing jokes.

However, all fun and games ceased when the little woman with the booming voice came to the doorway, and rang the bell. Her voice was way louder than the bell, and we would hear her voice more than we heard the bell. For those who ventured out of ear shot, and who heard neither of her calling signals, she waited patiently by the door, strap and ruler in hand, and they got a fine whopping for their tardiness.

She realised I loved to read, and gave me the opportunity to read to the class many times than I really wanted to. The other students would complain and started calling me the teacher’s pet. This didn’t stop her, and after a while she encouraged my aunt to sign me up at the Jamaica Library Service where I could read more books.

My aunt did, and that same year I was entered for the Jamaica Library Service Reading Competition. I was over the moon, and read as many books as I could. I didn’t top the category for my age group as I had hoped; I came third, but I did receive a certificate and of course books for participating.

The summer holidays were fast approaching, and my gloomy mood began to set in. I wasn’t looking forward to spending the holidays at home…

HOW DOES STRESS CAUSE ANXIETY?

FEEL OK SAYING NO

Your plate is only so big, and if you overwhelm yourself with everyone else’s personal problems, your anxiety will also worsen. We have all heard the adage, “There’s more happiness in giving than receiving.” But nowhere in this sentence does it say you should sit back and let others infringe on your time.

Whether you are driving someone around on errands, picking up their kids from school, or lending an ear about their problems, you will have little strength to care for your personal affairs if you spend almost all your energy caring for others.

This doesn’t mean you should never help anyone, but know your limitations, and don’t be afraid to say no when you need to. (SOURCE: www. helpguide.org; http://www.healthline.com; http://www.adaa.org; www.headsup.org.au, www. stress.org, www.cambridge-credit.org , www.thebalance.com, www.healthline.com)

Keisha A. Hill is media practitioner and communications consultant. Send feedback to kanhillcommunications@gmail.com or editorial@oldharbournews.com. Visit Jamaican Chronicles to read more blogs by the author.