This week has been incredibly busy and draining! My gas tank is on empty as I write this! The week was full of counseling, football practice, running errands, job applications and starting the coursework for my MPH program! I have my first online live sessions starting on Tuesday! Saturday we had our EndAlz in the Endzone female flag football game to raise money for Alzheimer’s.
The day started about 7 am to get to the field at 8:45. We took pictures, warmed up, stretched and the game got started just after 10. I played for the first few minutes which I was happy with since I’d only been able to practice for the last few weeks as it took time to recover from my stress fracture. I spent the rest of the game on the sidelines cheering on my teammates! Unfortunately, we didn’t get the win but it was close at 29-38. Overall, the event raised over $24,000 with ~$15,000 coming from Team Purple! I’m proud of all my teammates for the efforts they put in both on and off the field. Of course, our coaches deserve a huge shout out too! They volunteer their time multiple days a week to help us!
Anyway, I got distracted! After the game was over we cleaned up the field and headed over to Thirsty Fellow for the after party where we did awards for MVP of each team, top fundraisers on each team and obviously the winning team! I stayed around through the awards but I quickly knew that it was time to leave.
In dealing with anxiety for the last 14 or so years, I have learned to recognize when I’m getting anxious. However, only in the past year or so have I started to listen to these signs. One of my biggest triggers for anxiety is social interactions particularly when it’s loud and crowded as was the case yesterday! I knew that I needed some quiet time. Since I came home yesterday, I have mostly kept to myself.
I went to church this morning and they were having an Independence Day block party after the service. I contemplated going and checking it out but I remembered that sometimes it’s okay to have some alone time. I often worry that I will offend someone or let someone down if I don’t come to an event so I often find that I try and do too much and wear myself thin. I am actively trying to get better at this.
Anxiety is something that varies on a day to day basis and when you throw depression in there too it can create some “interesting” situations. But knowing that I always have a group of friends who are going to understand is an incredible blessing. I think the lesson I learned this weekend is to “know your limits”, “listen to yourself” and “don’t be ashamed of your limits”.
I’m recharged and ready for a new week and am already excited for our 2020 EndAlz in the Endzone game!!
Hiking Through Anxiety & Depression 