If I could go back in time and give advice to my seventeen-year-old self, I don’t think it would change a thing.

It wouldn’t quell the nerves as I walked into an exam room or let my mind slow down long enough to write something down, as the clock ticked and my classmates charged full speed ahead.

Even at twenty-three, my chest tightens just thinking back to my final years of school when it felt like my future hung in the balance, and every week was another opportunity to sink or swim.

Anxiety is irrational. So regardless of pep talks or affirmations, the fear can pull you under without warning and there is nothing you can do but keep breathing.

I don’t think for a second that because I am an adult, I am now more capable of coping with that level of stress and that somehow I know better than my younger self.

You often hear: “It’s just a score. At the end of the day, VCE doesn’t matter”… “The moment I saw my ATAR, it became meaningless, so don’t worry about it”… “Why are kids so stressed about VCE? I got through it!”…“Just be a kid, it will all work out in the end”.

I admit that I’ve probably said something like this before. But I think it is easier for us adults to dismiss the importance of VCE, than to admit that the only reason we have permission to forget is because we no longer have to worry about it.

As I see my little sister go through the same struggles I did, I can see history repeating itself and I am powerless to stop it.

I wish I could tell her that it won’t always be so hard and she will find moments of clarity and inspiration. I wish I could reassure her that she will survive this year and she will be stronger for it. I wish I could make her believe in herself, just as much as I believe in her.

But at the end of the day, all I can do is listen and support her as she goes through her own journey.

While this is the frustrating reality of living with anxiety and ADHD, this story isn’t a hopeless one. We all go through our own individual struggles, which make us the people we are and gives us the resilience to face our next challenge.

My therapist once said to me, “Your track record for surviving hard times is 100 per cent, so you will get through this too”.

So no matter what you are going through, please try to be kind to yourself and remember to just keep breathing.