Prompt: If there has been some obstacle or "bump in the road," in your academic or personal life, please explain the circumstances
dealing with anxiety and stress
People never realize what is going on behind closed doors, you may seem fine to everyone at first but deep down you might be battling something deep down inside. Personally, dealing with anxiety and stress was taking a toll on my personal and academic life. Managing school was a struggle at first especially when you have overwhelming thoughts but telling someone is the first step. Life goes on and I have learnt to be strong and realize that there is more to life than just unwanted thoughts about myself and the other around me. Today I am still leaning to manage it, but it is more controlled.
Overcoming anxiety was something new to me, I never really dealt with something like that before. My mind was racing all over the place, I was worrying about things that never use to bother me in the past. It was hard to concentrate in school when all my insecurities bothering me, I decided that enough is enough. I decided to go to therapy, I needed a way where I could open my mind to new thoughts, see them from a different or more positive perspective. Of course, it was not easy at first, it took some time to get my mind to think differently, I practiced different techniques that would contribute to having anxiety in control. I took up journaling to write out my thoughts and feelings. After a while I noticed slight changes in my behavior and mood, I felt less cluttered mentally. I felt more motivated to do my school work and I had a better understanding of what I'm learning in school.
Maintaining stress was an easier situation to fix than the anxiety that correlated with it. I have always dealt with stress in my academic life, but growing up, especially in high school, many things started piling up and felt overwhelming. I did not know how to take out all that negative energy out and it started to build up over time. Eventually I would let everything out and have a clean state of mind, I needed a new technique to at least calm me down whenever that occurs; I started doing meditation to calm my stress signals and loosen up the tension I felt within. Once I felt that straining overwhelming feeling, I stopped what I was doing took a deep breath, listened to a guided meditation track and finally continue working. Over time I eventually gained control of my stress, having a calmer state of mind.
Having these obstacles in my life were strenuous but I was able to look at them in a positive way. It made me stronger and more capable to handle things that I thought I never could, taking up hobbies to keep my mind occupied was something I enjoyed doing because I got to show my creative side. Overall, I am glad of the person I became today, I have come so far from that day and there is no going back.Hi Sarah,
It's a nicely written essay, however I feel like you could add more on how your personal/academic life has been improved since you gained the "clean state of mind". Maybe present any achievment you have managed to accomplish since you overcame the obstacle. Hope this helps. And good luck
