“Around a year ago, I began experiencing intense physical symptoms before and during softball games. What started off as sleepless nights and shaky hands, quickly turned into chest pain and constant headaches. All of these symptoms were stemming from performance anxiety. During games, I would try my best to hide the physical symptoms I was dealing with and push through. I wanted to be a good teammate, and not let others see my struggles, but the stress of having to always be in “game mode” while silently fighting an internal battle only amplified my symptoms.  My mental health continued to worsen and I found myself getting physically sick on game days due to the anxiety. Being sick and extremely anxious all the time led my performance on the field to suffer. I felt incredibly alone and isolated, I didn’t reach out to anyone around me for help. I wanted to have it all figured out. The idea that my mental struggles were causing physical symptoms made me feel ashamed. As I continued t...