“There is no need for you to be so stressed, just relax,” my parents told me. I’ve heard those words so many times it has become an echo. Their body language shows indifference in the way they brush it off as no big deal and how their body position stays the same. They don’t lean in attentively or reach their hand out to comfort me. I can’t be stressed, but I’m expected to reach the high standards my parents hold for me. Sometimes it feels like the bar is set so high it’s like reaching for clouds, trying to get a grasp on any wisp of an achievement I can muster. My parents don’t see it that way though. They can only perceive what it must be like from where they stand but I’m the one experiencing it. To me the situation is overwhelming and tough
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I joined the soccer team, girl scouts, orchestra, volleyball, choir, show choir, and JOOI club. Even with the added pressures through my school career, I still managed to keep the good grades and be the good kid my parents wanted me to be. It seemed to my parents that the pressure never bothered me, though that was never the case. Pressure makes it easier for me to work. It makes me focus and work harder so that the pressure is relieved and I can relax for a little while. Sometimes it’s too much and I get extremely stressed; which has happened a lot more in recent years. Stress makes me feel like I’m in a box and the walls are closing in on me and I feel claustrophobic. My entire body gets tense and the muscles won’t relax until I rid myself of the problem. It’s like I’m holding my breath the entire …show more content…
I’ve always preferred the positive reinforcement that comes with meeting the expectations of teachers and my parents because the disappointment made me feel disappointed in myself. Any time I’ve disappointed my parents or one of the teachers I admired, it filled me with a sense of shame and guilt. Each time it created that sensation of my stomach dropping and my body felt heavier. All I ever hear from teachers, coaches, my parents, or directors is “Give it 110 percent!”. Looking back I can tell they never really meant to make it seem like succeeding was my only option; they only wanted me to reach my full potential. I’m only human though, and I can only handle exerting so much effort; sometimes I need a break. It’s easier said than done to give every aspect of your life so much effort and not crumble under the stress it
I joined the soccer team, girl scouts, orchestra, volleyball, choir, show choir, and JOOI club. Even with the added pressures through my school career, I still managed to keep the good grades and be the good kid my parents wanted me to be. It seemed to my parents that the pressure never bothered me, though that was never the case. Pressure makes it easier for me to work. It makes me focus and work harder so that the pressure is relieved and I can relax for a little while. Sometimes it’s too much and I get extremely stressed; which has happened a lot more in recent years. Stress makes me feel like I’m in a box and the walls are closing in on me and I feel claustrophobic. My entire body gets tense and the muscles won’t relax until I rid myself of the problem. It’s like I’m holding my breath the entire …show more content…
I’ve always preferred the positive reinforcement that comes with meeting the expectations of teachers and my parents because the disappointment made me feel disappointed in myself. Any time I’ve disappointed my parents or one of the teachers I admired, it filled me with a sense of shame and guilt. Each time it created that sensation of my stomach dropping and my body felt heavier. All I ever hear from teachers, coaches, my parents, or directors is “Give it 110 percent!”. Looking back I can tell they never really meant to make it seem like succeeding was my only option; they only wanted me to reach my full potential. I’m only human though, and I can only handle exerting so much effort; sometimes I need a break. It’s easier said than done to give every aspect of your life so much effort and not crumble under the stress it