By Natalie Morales
Everyone feels anxiety every now and then. You can get anxious before a hard exam, anxious from juggling multiple tasks as a college student, anxious about post-graduate life, or for dancers, anxious about performing in front of a crowd.
Being diagnosed with clinical anxiety is much different, though. It can cause a person so much distress that it interferes with their everyday life or their ability to lead a normal life.
According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S., affecting 40 million adults ages 18 and older, about 18 percent of the population. Although anxiety disorders are highly treatable, only about 1/3 of those suffering receive treatment, the website said.
Anxiety disorders can develop from a complex set of factors, including genetics, brain chemistry, personality and life events. Women are 60 percent more likely than men to experience an anxiety disorder in their lifetime, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.
Most dancers deal with some form of anxiety, most often performance anxiety. For some who are already dealing with an anxiety disorder, dance may be therapeutic. For others, it can be a torment.
The stories of two Texas Tech dancers shed a light on the complex relationship between anxiety and dance.
Kathryn Parker is a senior dance major who suffers from anxiety stemming from an eating disorder in high school. Watch her story below.
Kaitlyn Hopper is a senior dance major who has struggled with anxiety her entire life but began getting treatment in college. Watch her story below.
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