Balancing A Chaotic Life

Springfield High student Gwen Michna regains control of her life despite struggles with anxiety and depression.

By Matthew Michaels

Kids these days are happy and without worries, right? This is how some people view teenagers. Young people are supposed to have access to everything they could ever want, however, this really is not the case with the world’s teens today. Life may be great, for some, but it is not simple. Teens come from all different backgrounds, have all different passions, and fight their own unique battles. Springfield High School student Gwen Michna has her own story to tell about life as a senior, and it is far from ideal. Michna leads Springfield’s cheerleading squad as cheer captain, plays a crucial role in the theater department, and balances the challenge of a strenuous class schedule full of advanced placement and honors courses. On top of it all, she faces the difficulty of anxiety and depression as a part of her daily life.

Michna, a natural born leader, was voted into the role of cheer captain at the beginning of this season, but it took a lot of hard workand passion for her to rise to the place she is today. Michna started to take dance lessons at the Eugene Ballet Academy when she was 4 years old, and stuck with it for nine years before eventually growing out of dance.

“[Dance] was boring me and was taking up too much of my time,” she says. “I went to one of the [Springfield High School] football games, looked at the cheerleaders and thought, ‘Oh! I could do that!’”

The following Monday, Michna went to talk with the head coach and she started practice the next day as their newest freshman. Michna was hooked. She worked hard and became integrated into the family-like community.

Last May during tryouts, the team chose Michna as their captain for the next season. Having earned her teammates’ respect and trust, Michna felt “honored” and has had a “crazy, great time” with her teammates since. Michna was able to plan team bonding events and help lead them with care.

However, leading a cheer squad is accompanied by its own hardships. She learned some big lessons this year. “I have to make some hard choices,” says Michna. “If our coaches aren’t there, I would have to do what they wanted us to do. Even if that means yelling at people, or making us do extra conditioning even when it isn’t that fun. Just stuff that I know will make us better.”

Some of the biggest aspects of cheerleading, however, are the family bonds that are built and the trust that is formed. “We’re just a huge, great family,” Michna reflects. “Not only do we spend ten hours a week practicing, we also spend time as a team at games and competition. But for the sport of cheerleading, you are throwing girls up in the air. You have to have that trust, and be physically close, or else you won’t perform well.”

Cheer is not only about fancy stunts. The main goal of cheerleading is to support the other sports within the school. “Cheer is a very different sport,” says Michna. “We practice 11 out of 12 months of the year and I would say that we are the hardest working sport in our school. It’s very difficult as an art to be an athlete but also look pretty and make it seemeffortless.”

The team also competes and raises their own money for events. “We fundraise a lot. I don’t think I’ve had to pay a single penny out of pocket because of how hard we work,” Michna says.

Perhaps the biggest obstacle in Michna’s life is her mental health. At the end of her eighth-grade year, she noticed a decline, having “breakdowns” that were later diagnosed as anxiety and panic attacks. “Something just didn’t feel right,” she says.

Finally, after about a year of this, she broke down to her mom. “It’s hard to tell someone so close to you that something’s wrong,” Michna says, “but with her help I got to see a therapist.”

Michna was first diagnosed with anxiety in October of 2016 and later she learned she was dealing with depression. After a few years of seeing two different therapists, and a psychiatrist, Michna has been given hope and is set on a road to recovery. Her therapists have helped her to manage her anxiety and depression, and her psychiatrists have given her medication that has helped Michna significantly. The best part of this whole process has come in the form of answers for Michna. She is not in the dark anymore and is very grateful for the help given on her journey.

However, this process was not as easy as Michna thought it would be. She described it as “rough,” having to try two differentmedications until finally settling on the one she has now. It took an extensive amount of patience, endurance, and courage to be able to break through her diagnoses. She now has been out of therapy for some time, and is not currently seeing a psychiatrist. After years of visiting with specialists, she is finally herself again. She has surrounded herself with caring, loving friends and is happy to be where she is today.

“Try to talk to people. Try to stick up for yourself. Try to get help even when you feel helpless,” Michna urges. “Everything’s going to be okay in the long run. Believe in yourself. Don’t give up hope now.”

The biggest lesson that Michna has learned throughout her stuggles with mental illness has been to never give up and always believe in yourself. She has discovered that perseverance can get anyone through the toughest of times.