My Sword and Shield Against Stress: How Music and Sports Changed my Life as a Student

We’ve all been there. It’s three days before your biggest test of the year and you are wracked with fear. Are you ready? Can you do it? This was me before almost every, single academic evaluation last year. I would let myself become wrapped in anxiety, telling myself that the work I was doing wasn’t good enough. It was challenging to find an escape from this when, as a student, school covered most aspects of my life. However, there were two activities I took part in, and little did I know then, but these would be my savior from stress. I started playing the cello in sixth grade, thanks to my middle school’s music program. At first, it was something that didn’t impact my life too much, everyone at my school had to take music, so why would it be special for me? As I progressed from middle school to high school, things changed. At a new school, I was no longer one of many in the music department. Here there were only a few dozen kids that chose to continue in music, and I was incredibly fortunate to be one of them. You see, music wasn’t just your regular class when I entered high school.

Unlike English, science, or math, music included a portion where we got to play in an orchestra setting. Playing music, in my experience, is one of the most relaxing activities one can do. It was in those big rehearsals that I found myself drifting away from all my stress. The great thing about music is when you are in the middle of playing, there’s only one thing you can focus on, and that’s the music.

How your part sounded with the melody held by the first violins, or the deep notes played by the bases. Whenever we played in the orchestra setting, I would be completely surrounded by a beautiful wall of sound, almost like a forcefield, keeping all the other noises of scholarly anxiety out. In ninth grade, music was my shield to stress, but I needed something to combat the stress itself. That is where sports came in. If music was my shield, then playing sports was my sword. All my life I’ve been taking part in sports. Soccer, basketball, swimming, gymnastics, you name it. I found my calling when I tried volleyball.

Volleyball for me was like that moment in Cinderella when she puts on the slipper–when you try something and it just fits perfectly. During my first year of high school, volleyball was a constant for me. I had three-hour practices three times a week, which may seem to some like an added layer on my pile of things to do.

However, playing volleyball was the greatest outlet when I felt overwhelmed. When participating in physical activity I would feel as if I was burning the stress off. With every drop of sweat that hit the floor, part of me would relax. It was a great release not only because I was working hard and burning calories, but because there was one thing to do, get the ball. Not get the ball, rush to class, write the science quiz, drop off uniforms, finish the English essay, and don’t forget to check that email. It was just get the ball. Additionally, playing sports helped me learn to deal with pressure. It would be game point and you would have to serve the ball over. There was no choice to back down, doing it was the only thing on the table. It was in those moments that I learned the most about myself and how I can cope with pressure. I am happy to say that now, with the help of these tools, I’ve been able to create a support system for myself that helps me deal well with the pressure of school. I still sometimes get overwhelmed, but we all do, and luckily for me, music and sports are the two things that combat it the best. If I can give anyone a piece of advice, it would be to pick up a guitar, soccer ball, trumpet, tennis racket, anything! You might think it’s just another thing to keep you extra busy, but it’s quite the opposite. If I can say anything from my experience, give sports and music a try, it could be your key to a low-stress life.