One of my biggest flaws is that I need constant reassurance from people. 

No, not in the attention-seeking way, but in the way that I overthink so much about what people say that I create problems that aren’t there.

I want to be able to control everything and need to learn to accept what I cannot change. When my friends tell me that I’m good at one of the extracurriculars I do, I appreciate it, but when one person tells me differently, that’s who I believe. Because they said that, it has to be true, right? 

Wrong. 

Our brains tend to focus on the negative comments versus the multiple positive ones. Our mentality cannot comprehend negative thoughts and comments, so we fixate on them. 

However, it’s not only about other people. A lot of the time, I put the pressure on myself. 

With the sport of swimming, when you don’t get a faster time than you went before, it’s all on you. 

My coach and teammates constantly remind me that times don’t matter and what matters is that you are trying your hardest. 

My parents tell me that I’m succeeding in what I do, that I have good grades, that my swimming is going well, and that I handle my worries, yet for some reason, I still have self-doubt. 

I have to remind myself that the most important opinion in my life is my own. If I think that I am trying my best with all that I have going on, then I am.