I am a firm believer in the Golden Rule. Each person should treat others how they want to be treated. I try to uphold this ideal every day. A good majority of the time, I at least try to put on a friendly facade, attempting to conceal the effect of the day’s tremors.

But sometimes, it gets to be too much.

Social anxiety is a beast I have to fight with every day. My legs become gelatinous when I’m having an unexpected conversation, which can be something as simple as saying hello to someone in the hallway.

What many people seem to be oblivious to is that anxiety doesn’t stop at the end of the school day. Everywhere you go, you have to interact with all sorts of different people with different personalities. Each interaction, no matter who the other person is, contributes to a daily collection of stress. Over the years, it’s ultimately led to a diagnosis of severe depression.

There have been so many factors that contributed to this diagnosis, each having a varying magnitude of impact. The factor that seems to be the primary cause is that I don’t have the luxury of having friends who I can ask to hang out any time I want. I generally have to initiate conversations in order to talk with other people, since I rarely have people approach me.

I’m not trying to create a pity party here; the sad truth that many people at BVNW face is that cliques are constantly formed, and the social hierarchy is tilted strongly in one direction, causing the pariahs like myself to be excluded from so many opportunities that we are just as viable for participation in (i.e. spirit week dances).

The reality of this is that not everyone gets the same treatment in this school, whether or not people want to pride BVNW on being a big “Husky family.” I’ve constantly heard people refer to this “family” as a close-knit relationship between each person, saying that there’s so many opportunities for everyone to be respected. But somehow, the shyer people, even though they do their best to be recognized, get the short end of the stick and feel generally unwelcomed in the pool of BVNW students.

I don’t think it’s fair to label everyone as a rude person, because obviously there are some very nice people in this school who do their best to make everyone feel like they are respected and loved for who they are. But there are some people who are causing emotional pain and tearing apart the dignity and confidence of those who are at the receiving end of their harsh words.

Take a step back and redefine what a true family is, and consider whether or not you’re doing your part to uphold this achievement that BVNW prides itself on. There are so many people you don’t know in this school, and there are so many more connections to be made that will strengthen your rapport with your peers. Realize that what’s on the outside isn’t always a good representation of what someone is truly feeling. There’s always that hidden layer that generally remains uncovered due to lack of a support system. Be that person who influences someone’s day for the better, because all it takes is a simple smile to turn a subpar day into one of the best days a person has ever had.