Worries

Story 1: Safwat has A LOT of anxiety for his daughter's future: that she won’t learn enough Urdu to be able to talk with her grandmother while she’s still alive. That she’ll grow embarrassed by his accent. That she’ll bear the brunt of climate change. Now that she’s 7 years old, Safwat confesses some of these worries to his daughter and tries to uncover her own anxieties for the future.

Story 2: Julie used to hum in class as a kid to soothe her anxieties. Until her teacher complained that Julie’s humming was distracting the other students. So she found herself in a doctor’s office, being diagnosed with Tourette’s. And there, the doctor pointed to Julie’s mom and said “your daughter has it… because you have it.” Twenty years later, when Julie’s ticks reappear following a great loss, Julie and her mom talk about this shared connection.

Featuring Julie Piñero and Safwat Saleem. To see Safwat’s anxiety charts, go to: safwatsaleem.com