April ushers in Stress Awareness Month, which might raise a chuckle, considering my year-round acquaintance with stress. Recognizing my perpetual state of “fight or flight” as Generalized Anxiety Disorder was a revelation. While I’m not always adept at managing it, I’ve come a long way from abject panic. This journey of understanding and acceptance has been pivotal.

Throughout my life, I’ve grappled with feeling distinctly average. Excellence seemed beyond my reach, marked by an absence of athletic achievements, academic accolades, or standout talents. This perception of ordinariness, shared by many, led me down a path of comparison and longing for recognition.

My childhood, devoid of remarkable drama, unfolded in a suburban, middle-class setting. The youngest of three, with significant age gaps separating us, my upbringing was conventional. School days blended into each other, punctuated only by routine chores and the anticipation of something, anything, different to happen.

The Definition of a Nerdy Introvert

In hindsight, my struggle wasn’t just with being average but failing to see beyond it. In an attempt to escape, I resorted to fabricating tales more enthralling than my reality. Adolescence was marked by stories of imaginary boyfriends and adventures, a desperate bid for interest and validation.

This propensity for storytelling evolved into a passion for writing. Initially a way to channel my fabrications, it became my outlet for creativity, albeit through often cringeworthy fiction and poetry. The necessity to escape my own narrative propelled me into worlds of fantasy and intrigue far removed from my own.

By high school, the charade of falsehoods gave way to a more genuine pursuit of writing. This shift in focus, however, didn’t translate into academic success. My identity as an intellectual introvert belied the truth of my average grades and disinterest in conventional achievements. College and subsequent employment followed a similar pattern of unremarkable consistency.

Related: Zoom Survival Guide for Introverts.

The Misconception of Introversion

For too long, I equated being average with personal failure, fostering a self-loathing that was hard to shake. My dreams of escaping to bustling metropolises and rejecting the safety of a mundane job were attempts to distance myself from mediocrity. Yet, each foray into the extraordinary served only to underscore the return to my baseline of average.

Related: May is Mental Health Awareness Month

Challenging the Status Quo

With time, my perspective has shifted—the concept of average no longer anchors my life’s narrative. Choosing a less traveled path has not elevated me above average but has freed me from the constraints of complacency. Embracing risk, stepping out of my comfort zone, and rejecting the illusion of safety have redefined my understanding of success and satisfaction. My anxious nature remains, yet it no longer defines nor confines me to mediocrity.

Looking ahead, I see a landscape ripe with potential, not for escaping average but for redefining it. My journey underscores that “average” is not a limit but a starting point from which extraordinary experiences and realizations can blossom. The future, teeming with unknowns, shows that anxiety isn’t limiting, and refusing to settle for the conventional can lead to a life rich in authenticity and adventure.

That’s what I am focusing on during Stress Awareness Month.

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