Everyone faces obstacles in their life. For me, it’s anxiety.

My anxiety became most prominent in third grade when I worried about everything. I worried about tests, dance lessons, piano recitals and daily decisions, such as what I should order at a restaurant.

When I overcame one of my worries, I felt relieved until I realized the next day would bring so many more.

As a child, my anxiety was so bad that I could no longer sleep over at my friends’ houses. I worried about sleeping in a different environment than the one I was used to.

I often tried, yet failed, to stay a full night at a friend’s without having to get picked up at 1:30 a.m. I finally gave up on trying to sleep over.

My anxiety played a big role in my social experience growing up because I wasn’t always comfortable in situations where I thought I should be. I stopped attending sleepaway camp because I was convinced I couldn’t make it three weeks away from home. My friends didn’t have these problems and I felt bad because I did.

When I was 8 years old, I messed up a note in my piano recital. From then on, I was anxious for every recital, which finally caused me to stop performing. When I stopped playing in recitals, I didn’t see a point in playing piano anymore.

In seventh grade, the night of the Homecoming football game, I stopped letting anxiety control my life, and I slept over at a friend’s house. I still remember the excitement I felt, waking up the next morning right where I fell asleep. I realized I could conquer my fears.

I started putting myself out there. That summer, I returned to camp for three weeks, and I had the best time of my life.

As I have grown older, I have become more aware of my anxiety and learned how to cope with it. I try not to let these worries interfere with my ability to live a normal life, even though I might not always succeed. I can’t get rid of my anxiety, but I’ve learned how to accept myself anyway.

I know I’m not alone — everyone struggles with anxiety at times. You can’t let it hold you back from something you want to do, because it will never define who you are.