I have been affected by anxiety since I can remember. When I was 8 years old, my friend in ballet class used to call me the "worry wart." I was always so concerned with details, concerned with doing well, afraid of messing up.
In middle school during English class, the boy behind me kept kicking the back of my chair. After a few days of this, I finally worked up the nerve to turn around and tell him to quit, only to be immediately yelled at by my teacher. She didn't see the whole situation, she just saw me turning to tell off a boy. I was so embarrassed, I cried.
In high school, I began to experience panic attacks and night terrors. My dad took me to the doctor and after being treated for ulcers I had developed from stress, I was diagnosed with a panic disorder. In large classes, I would become so overwhelmed by hearing all the talking during free time that every few weeks I was getting in trouble for walking off campus and going home without informing anyone. After my diagnosis, I was allowed to sit in the counselor's office if I needed to leave class and she would do paper work while I read Alexander Dumas.
Luckily, I woke up in a writing mood today. Unfortunately, that 10-15 pager due on Tuesday didn't seem all that appealing. But I do think I have an idea for a college essay, so that's productive enough I think. I really despise these essay questions the way I don't care for those trick questions they ask you during job interviews. I never know what they want to hear and I don't like the questions that seem to be asking for your life's pity-party story, or the ones that want a 600 word brag about how awesome you are. But I went to sleep thinking about quilts and I woke up thinking about how much I like to do and make things, so here's the question and my brain-storm/first draft.
Describe a place or environment where you are perfectly content. What do you do or experience there, and why is it meaningful to you? 250-650 words.
