Pressure into Power

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This past year, I played in one of the biggest matchups of the season and little did I know, it would change my life for the better. Before the game, I was feeling an immense amount of pressure from the outside and the inside. Both teams played their hearts out and the game was one to remember. Unfortunately, we didn’t get the outcome we had hoped for but all my teammates kept their heads high knowing it they gave it their best fight. After the end-game huddle, I started to feel the weight of the pressure I put on myself. I had hit my limit. That’s when I experienced my first panic attack. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t stop crying. I couldn’t think. I thought my world was ending and it was one of the scariest moments of my life.

But with the help of my team and my family, I was able to calm down and get clear headspace. They comforted me and made me feel like I was at home and safe.

Through this experience, I learned that you shouldn’t put so much pressure on yourself and when you feel stress coming to you, just try to breathe. Ironically, in that game, I played well yet I still put an immense amount of pressure on myself that I couldn’t take. However, I learned this lesson and it has changed my thinking. One of my favorite quotes is “Treat yourself like you’re someone you love”, and I think it is especially relevant to this situation because I didn’t treat myself like someone I love. I would never put that much pressure on someone or criticize them whenever they made a mistake as I did with myself. I would encourage them and cheer them on. And that’s what I have been doing with myself ever since then: I started cheering myself on in every situation and never giving up. I started being my own biggest supporter and you should be your own too.

—Emory Klatt

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