#BreakingFree2023 “Quiet the noise in your head, find your own lane, go at your own pace, and move forward with intent” It’s no secret that I’ve struggled for quite some time with battling perfectionism and trying to live up to high expectations, set by myself and others. Though I have made great progress in several areas of my life, being a competitive athlete can often cause me an abundance of stress because I feel pressured to perform at the high standards set by my teamates and fellow competitors. After participating in a few back to back fitness competitions during the fall period, I made the decision to take a ‘break’ and to try to find joy in my day to day training. I realised that, though I absolutely love competing and being pushed to new heights, the amount of stress I was putting on myself was not only becoming unhealthy, but it was also making me question whether I still enjoyed what I was doing. After approximately 3 months of lowering the intensity of my workouts, follo