Teenage Anxiety – from childhood to adulthood!

Update for week ended 27 May 2011

The eighteen year old was biting his nails. The wait seemed endless. He was legally an adult, but at such a vulnerable moment, he felt emotions like that of a child. Just a couple of months ago, he had forgotten whether it was day or night, as he burned the proverbial midnight oil, as he studied for his various exams. He had stopped shaving for days on end, until his mother reprimanded him, that he dragged himself in front of the bathroom mirror for a quick face wash, and a hurried shave. His eating habits had swung more than a hypnotist’s pendulum…. sometimes eating ravenously while at times shunning even the tastiest snacks that his mother would make for him. His consumption of stimulating beverages like tea and coffee saw a surge till one day, when his eyes just glazed over and he was actually asleep with open eyes. The nervous waits at the exam centre before the invigilator distributed the question papers sometimes felt like eternity. His sweaty palms sometimes made it difficult for him to speed write – and fortunately for that, else his just legible hand would have been unrecognizable. On the last day of the exams, he had decided to party with his class fellows and they went out binging that night. But the celebrations were short, as the next set of exams had to be trudged through. Such were the vagaries of the life of a teenager who wanted to pursue a professional graduation programme, and with the so called “competition”, he could not let his guard down. And now the day of reckoning was unfolding itself. He felt like he was transitioning from one phase of his life to another, and one small step would either make or mar it. His trembling fingers nervously typed out the identification number on the home computer and after a few moments, the screen changed to the results page on the website. Elation, surprise, relief were all writ on his face. His family and well wishers were with him and they too felt the same emotions and his mother’s eyes welled up. She hurried to the little prayer altar in the kitchen, and took a few pieces of sugar candy she had placed there, and with folded hands, shut eyes – offered her thanksgiving prayers.She returned and dropped a piece into his mouth. The relief after all those hard days was palpable and now the race would shift towards the admission process where the fight for the “prestigious” 60 seats would start. The sigh he let out summed up what he felt…… he was sure of making it into the Swinging Sixty List!

D Street and the D Boyz were also going through anxiety attacks as result after result were being announced. The D Boyz were a bundle of nerves. The companies that they had poured their sweat and blood money into, were now going to announce whether the Boyz had aced or flunked the investment test. Some Boyz got their not so good news and the normal adults suddenly felt like children – reflected like on a clear mirror on the SENSEX that dropped from the 18 thousand levels to the 17 thousands. But the overall mood of the Boyz was lifted as better results eased the tension towards the end of the week. The Boyz were also relieved to realize that in this entire up and down moment, the SENSEX drop of 60 points since the last week had the subliminal message – , that like the public sector working age limit of 60 years, there was hope at D Street and that it was not sudden death for the Teenager Boyz! (SENSEX fell from 18326 of last week to 18266 today).

Mother was resourceful, as she quickly rustled up the favourite Paayasam or Kheer or Rice Pudding. All at home relished it, and for the near and dear ones who wished the young man – there was pedha or barfi or milk cake.

Here is wishing all the Boys and Girls (or rather the Gents and Ladies) who embark on their next stage of life in equipping themselves for a professional working life , All The best! And for the rest, here is wishing you a cheerful and safe weekend….