The Importance Of Gymnastics

Growing up an athlete, I was used to the bruises, strained muscles, and achy joints. Ten years of competitive gymnastics took a toll on my body, both physically and mentally. Gymnastics was an intense sport revolving around being perfect. Our coaches taught us to strive for and attain perfection, which in turn became a gift and a curse.
This need to be perfect was a gift in that it drove me, and continues to drive me, to achieve at a high level and pursue my goals. The downside, however, was that my self-confidence plummeted since gymnastics taught me that even my best needed to be better which left me anxiously trying to prove myself and my abilities. After countless years of wear-and-tear on my body, I could barely run ten steps without

It was his job to critique us on our diving and provide us with constructive feedback to better our skills. Shortly after, he began harshly critiquing us on more than our diving. He said I needed to lose weight, I was a disappointment to everyone, and he constantly told my teammates to stop speaking to me. I dreaded practice, terrified of what I would hear next. My anxiety level reached the point where I stood afraid to even jump off the board. The day I experienced a panic attack and nearly passed out on a platform five meters above the water was the day I was ready to leave the sport I

I prided myself in my academics, and as with diving, I was afraid of failing. The intense fear of failure was crippling. Every assignment was an enormous weight on my shoulders, and I struggled to achieve the flawless outcome I desired. I exhausted myself dwelling on my past failures, and my personal expectations became overwhelmingly unattainable. My failures blinded me to my successes, and as I began college, I knew that I needed to combat this anxiety as well. Using similar breathing and relaxation exercises I had previously learned paired with a few new techniques to refocus my thoughts, I better managed the anxiety that accumulated in the