Pain is Anticipation- How BV Students Deal With Jitters
BV Newsroom
By Zoe Darby
Fair Oaks, CA - September 25, 2025
Nerves: nervousness and anxiety. We’ve all had nerves before, whether it was during a math test, presentation, or when doing something new. This stress can be really challenging to deal with, as it may be irrational or hard to control.
In search of ways to handle nerves or stress, I talked to several students at Bella Vista—especially those in performing arts or sports. The results of these interviews were pretty much what you’d expect: students feel nervous, even more so before games or performances. These nerves affect their performance, just as they might affect your test scores or grades.
Several students from our award-winning band program responded to my questions. One said, “Marching band competitions really put me under a lot of stress…I try to keep everyone’s cheer up, to help everyone feel better. [On my own] I usually go over my parts, listen to music, or just try to calm down.”
Another said: “Seeing all the people in the crowd makes me think of all the ways I could royally mess up. It makes my stomach hurt, and I get super shaky. It can make me sound bad while performing. The scream definitely helps.” ‘The scream’ is the band’s trademark way of entering the field before a competition; everyone takes several deep breaths together and then screams. It releases the stress and anticipation throughout the band.
But I couldn’t just interview band kids. Henry Diaz, otherwise known as Lord Farquad from last year’s musical, gave insight on how it felt before a show. “What am I feeling? Very nervous. Generally, I feel nervous because I don't know how it will go. There is also a healthy level of fear for the craft.” However, his solution to calming down was slightly different: “I like to listen to the people in the audience. I just want to know that they are there. And when the curtain opens…I don’t feel nervous.”
One cross country and track student said, “I feel anxious and nervous. I’m nervous over the expectation of doing well and worrying that I won’t, also the fact that some things are out of my control. I listen to music, read, or go for a walk [to deal with stress].”
Across the board, the most noticeable cause of stress is expectation; the expectations of the crowd or the person themselves. How do these accounts compare to the general student body?
Out of the students who responded to my survey, 80% of them said that they feel stressed during or before a test or any school-related situation. Everyone who answered said that this anxiety made them perform worse, make mistakes, and lose efficiency. When asked why, the general response was that they felt uncertain, scared, and full of self-doubt.
The stress students feel during school and during sports or performing arts is very similar. Both include a fear of failing, not doing well enough, or disappointing others. And yet, Bella Vista has so many smiling, proud students. When you see players out on the field or students in the halls and classes, they don’t seem to be nearly as nervous as they claim to be. So what are they doing to help calm themselves down?
Some of the most common ways included breathing exercises (such as box breathing), grounding exercises, planning ahead, listening to music, and talking with friends. These are all great ways to manage anxiety and stress, and they work for a lot of people. Others had more specific methods, such as crocheting, praying, spending time in nature, and working out.
Still, a significant number of students admitted that they hadn’t figured out a way to deal with stress, and just pushed through until they could get a break.
If you are struggling to deal with anxiety, stress, or pressure surrounding academics, I hope this article has given you ideas for the future. Doing extra research on grounding exercises and taking the advice of other students about stress management can have many benefits. And remember—you can always ask for help.
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