“Get on the line!” My least favorite part of school practice. Two long dreadful hours and I know we’re near the end as soon as I hear these words come out of my coaches mouth. Sprints tire me out but as soon as she yells that we have one left everyone puts their all in and is relieved once the words “You girls are done” are heard. I hear sighs of relief from everyone and sounds of joy as everyone talks about what they’re gonna do when they get home. Me on the other hand, just sits there in even more dread. I have another practice to go to. My mom picks me up and as we drive home I think about everything I need to get done. We get home and I am reminded that I have another practice that we have to leave for in less than an hour. I scarf down some food, change my outfit, and I’m off to practice once again. Another two hour practice filled with lots of running. Luckily, time flies while I’m there but the second practice is over I just begin to think about all the homework I still need to do and the shower I have to take once I’m back home.

Getting through the day seems like a simple task since we have done it since the day we were born. In reality, it’s not that simple. Personally for me, I am a very busy person with a busy family and schedule, so it takes a lot to feel satisfied with how I spend my time outside of school. I play two sports currently, one in school and one out of school. They take up a lot of my time. I look forward to my soccer practices a little more than any of my school practices. My team consists of girls from a few other schools, so I like having that separate group of friends to catch up with every week. Playing my sports keeps me distracted while learning new things and having fun at the same time.

In addition to sports, one of the main things that keeps me going is hanging out with my friends. I have a solid friend group of people I hang out with from my church. We are very spontaneous and our spur of the moment hangouts always seem to be the best. They keep my mind off of things and I always can count on a good time when I’m with them. Even though I’ve only been close with them for a little under two years, I feel like I have known them forever. When I have time alone at home I also find myself listening to music a lot. I enjoy a lot of different genres and artists, but below I have linked one of my go to playlists to listen to. Having these three solid outlets has led me to learn how to manage my stress better and find what truly makes me happy. It took time, but once I found what rises my serotonin levels, I found it much easier to get through the day.