Her Campus Logo Her Campus Logo
The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at SBU chapter.

Throughout my life, I have struggled with anxiety. Anxiety to me comes in many different forms.

  1. Anxiety in School

Growing up I have been put into many different situations that would force me to talk to people I don’t know. One of these situations would be school. 

For seven years of my life, I was in the same school with the same friends; I had my favorite teachers, and I knew my way around the school. That was until I moved to a different school.

When my parents told me that we were moving to a new school, I felt so many different emotions. I was sad, happy and excited, but, of all emotions, I felt ANXIOUS the most. I was going to be the new kid. Someone who knew absolutely no one. That was probably the scariest part. 

My parents went on to tell me that it would be good for me. That it is good to meet new people, and that I’ll make new friends. However, when it comes to talking to new people, it causes me to get nervous. I feel as though I must be perfect, make a good first impression and force myself to make sure that they like me. 

As I continued to get older, I made some of my best friends. They helped me overcome some of the anxiety that I felt when I first moved to that school. 

2. Anxiety in Sports

I have been playing sports for as long as I can remember. Softball mainly because it was and still is my favorite sport. 

Growing up, the only people who believed in my softball abilities were my family and very close friends. Some of the people who didn’t believe in me would tell me that I wasn’t good enough or that I was wasting my time. In the small town that I graduated from, it was hard to be recognized for my athletic abilities. It almost seemed like no one cared about the small-town athletics. 

This then pushed me to do better; to make a name for myself. However, to do this I had to try out for a travel team. This meant meeting new people and putting myself out there. 

This caused me an immense amount of anxiety. I was scared to make mistakes. I was scared to talk to new people. But, most of all, I was extremely nervous that I wouldn’t make the team. 

I ended up making the team and continued playing travel softball for eight years. It really pushed me out of my comfort zone, and I met a lot of people who struggle with the same thing I do: ANXIETY. 

When it comes to anxiety, some of the things I would do is bite my nails, pick at my skin and bite the inside of my cheeks. And, I have noticed that throughout my life I am slowly learning ways to calm my nerves. 

One of the things that I have used to help me cope is doing things that I love such as hiking, hanging out with my best friends, going shopping and just spending quality time with my family.  

Jordan Swift is a new Her Campus at SBU chapter member. She plans on writing about current trends, different events that have happened in her life, movies that she likes to watch, and how they relate to her life. Jordan is excited to get to know all her fellow Her Campus sisters. She can't wait to read all the creative writings that her chapter of Her Campus has to share with others in the world. Jordan can be described as a junior at St. Bonaventure and is currently in the 3+2 program, with her undergraduate major being Public Health with an Occupational Therapy concentration. She has hopes of becoming an Occupational Therapist for adolescents in a school district. She has shadowed several different Occupational Therapists and has grown to love the profession. When Jordan has free time, she looks forward to spending time with her family and friends, going on hikes, listening to music, watching movies, such as "Matilda" and "Hocus Pocus", and going on different spontaneous trips. She enjoys volunteering at local SPCAs, as well as volunteering at food banks.