My Experience With Stress and Anxiety

Hi Everyone, I am a senior in high school. Anxiety and stress have been impacting my life, especially since I entered high school. I feel that generally as people grow older their stress levels increase because as age increases, responsibilities often grow overall as well. With age you often tend to add more things to your plate.The increased pressure of grades and testing to get accepted into a post-secondary education program was a big cause. I noticed that every one of my peers was struggling with their varying levels of symptoms. I created this website as part of my Girl Scout Gold Award project called "Managing Stress and Anxiety." I chose to focus my Gold Award Project on teaching management strategies for stress and anxiety because I believe it is important for mental health to be incorporated into everyday conversations. I especially want young people to know that if they are having symptoms of stress or anxiety, they are not alone. There are many ways to get help and support so that you can manage your symptoms.

I noticed that not only were my peers in school dealing with their own stress related challenges, but many of my family members were struggling with anxiety as well. While I was having my own struggles, some of my family members were having an even harder time. Because anxiety can be passed on genetically, many people with anxiety have family members who experience this as well. The leading causes of my stress and anxiety are school and sports. Testing has always been very stressful for me, no matter how much preparation I have put in before taking the test. High school testing is particularly stressful because the grades you get can influence your chances of getting into a post-secondary education program. I have always planned on pursuing higher education, so I felt extremely pressured to do well. Sports have always been a way for me to connect with peers and to stay healthy. Beginning with middle school sports, I felt more pressure to perform well during games and pressure to keep up with my teammates. There is certainly a lot of pressure to play sports with non-school leagues during off-sports seasons. I felt that if I didn't play sports during the off-season, I would have less chance of making high school teams. When I entered high school, sports teams were no longer open to everyone; instead, there were try-outs. Try-outs were some of the most stressful times of my high school career. Eleventh grade was the year I tried out for the varsity team for both soccer and basketball. In both cases, I made the team. However, in the case of basketball, I quit the varsity team after playing for a couple of weeks. After years of preparation, time, and hard work, it was a tough decision to make. In the end, it came down to the fact that I wanted to live my life without flare-ups of anxiety. The emotional strain of playing basketball was not worth the anxiety that it caused. Basketball had become a place of stress and negativity, and I had lost what I had loved about it. During the school day leading up to practices, I couldn't focus on anything but what could go wrong during my basketball practice. The closer the time came for practice, the more panicked I would get. I would feel very stressed and anxious, my hands, arms, and legs would sometimes be shaky, and my whole body would be tense. I decided that the weight of the stress and anxiety caused by basketball was not worth it to me. I felt that my happiness and mental health were more important than having a basketball varsity letter. I didn't lose my passion for basketball. Instead I used it to serve in my community. I was an assistant coach for two basketball teams for the rest of that season. This year, a friend and I made a basketball team possible for a town that didn't have a team the previous year. I am so happy that I decided to quit playing basketball. The coaching experiences I have had have been so rewarding and have given me the confidence to take on more significant volunteer leadership roles in other organizations. Deciding to quit basketball was not a decision I made overnight. I spent hours debating, laying out pros and cons. I was extremely concerned that I would regret my decision. I can say today that I have absolutely no regrets about this decision. I chose to reduce my stress and anxiety, which has led to amazing experiences that I am incredibly grateful for. Going outside for walks, playing basketball and soccer for fun, and baking are the main ways I reduce my stress. Being out in nature while going for a walk or biking gives me some fresh air, but allows me some space to clear my mind as well. Staying active and healthy is a great way to reduce stress. Playing sports has always been my way of doing this. I now choose to do this for fun rather than play on a team. Everyone has their own things that help them. Some people ride horses, practice yoga, or even have a lucky pair of socks that they have to wear on game day. Your management strategies don't have to work for others; you just have to find what works for you. I encourage you to sit down and take notes of what is causing your anxiety and stress. Write down every time you have symptoms and what leads up to them. Once you find the root of the problem, you can work to reduce your symptoms. Take time to really look at what is causing your stress and anxiety. Reducing the amount of stress and anxiety that you have will make you feel better and more successful. It's ok to make a change to better your mental health.