Teens, good news: I’m not dying. Well, I am, eventually, but for now, it seems my demise isn’t imminent. Why am I telling you this? For the last several months, I’ve felt an unmistakable heaviness in my chest and on my shoulders. The most logical explanation, of course, was that I was about to croak. As it turns out, there was no need for funeral arrangements…I was experiencing anxiety.
If you are feeling like this, I definitely advise a professional medical assessment (librarians aren’t trained to rule out real impending doom), but after I figured out the source of my discomfort, I did what any book-lover would do…I turned to my trusty Young Adult (YA) novels.
The YA titles below all feature characters who also experience anxiety in one form or another, and while the library does offer nonfiction and online resources with more instructional “how to deal” perspectives, these novels help in another way…they make you feel less alone.
In “How to Pack for the End of the World” by Michelle Falkoff, 16-year-old Amina is obsessed with, well, the end of the world. School shootings, democracy in peril, climate change, violent threats against her synagogue, these are all things keeping her up at night…like, all night…like, every night. When her parents decide to send her off to a private boarding school to help her re-set, little do they know she is going to connect with a like-minded gang of activists, whose doomsday preparation club uncovers a mystery none of them, despite their mutual fixations on the future, could have predicted.
In Jennifer Dugan’s “Verona Comics,” 17-year-old Ridley’s social anxiety is so intense that a mere “hi” from a pretty girl in an elevator can send him into panic attack mode. It doesn’t help that his domineering dad, the owner of comic store giant The Geekery, is forcing him to work FabCon, a massive comic convention that is frying his every nerve. But when he meets 16-year-old Jubilee at the FabCon Prom, the sparks that fly between them seem to make it all worthwhile. That is, until Ridley’s dad hatches a plot to take over Jubilee’s stepmom’s indie comic shop and enlists Ridley as a spy.
Ahhhhh! Star-crossed love interests, comics, and mental health? This is such a good one! It bounces back and forth between Ridley and Jubilee’s perspectives, and includes a diverse cast of characters who are as likeable as they are authentic. Two anxiety-laden thumbs up!
“You, Me, and Our Heartstrings” by Melissa See is another satisfying read if you’re in the mood for love with a side order of stringed instruments. Seventeen-year-old Daisy and Noah share a common goal: they want to get into Juilliard, the prestigious performing arts college. They’re both enormously talented musicians, and when they get paired to do a duet in their school’s holiday concert, they know this might be their shot to attract the notice of the Juilliard admissions team. Sounds like a slam dunk!
But, no! Of course not, fellow readers! What kind of boring novel would allow a slam dunk?
Unfortunately, besides orchestral talent, Daisy and Noah share something else in common: they’re both coming to blows with inner turmoil that could sabotage a stellar performance. Daisy has cerebral palsy, a condition she totally accepts, but wishes wasn’t the only thing people saw when they look at her. And Noah is trying to hide his immobilizing anxiety, fearing that he will never live up to his prodigy-filled family’s expectations.
What happens when two people come together, one who feels like the world only sees her disability, and the other whose disability is invisible to a fault? I’m going to need another set of thumbs because you know what? I’m putting two more up for this book.
Finally, if you’re looking for more immediate anxiety relief, don’t miss the “Calm Room” link, curated by Rosen Teen Health and Wellness, from the Teens’ page of the library’s website: www.akspl.org/teens. There you will find everything from relaxing waterfall sounds to guided meditations to live sea otter cams. Get ready to, temporarily at least, let a sea otter soothe you the way only a sea otter can. Most especially, teens, know that if you are experiencing anxiety, you are not alone. There are so many of us! Let these YA books, that don’t judge or demand, comfort you in their small ways, and gently guide you, like they did me, away from your imagined deathbed.
