Naomi Olsen

Photography by Greer Diaz

If you’re reading this, go at your own pace.

Go at your own pace: this is a principle I carry with me every day, and if you're reading this, I encourage you to do the same.

For much of my life, I've tried to keep up and adapt to my surroundings. From the early days of elementary school, I found myself always rushing—rushing into friendships, rushing to finish tasks, and constantly looking ahead to the next thing. Fast forward to college, and the rush turned into panic. In the last year or so, the constant race to keep up caught up with me, leading to bouts of panic and anxiety. At one point, my physical anxiety symptoms were so overwhelming that I couldn’t sit through class.

This has been one of the most defining times in my life, both challenging and transformative. But each day, I focus on what these experiences have taught me and how they've helped me grow into a stronger person.

Going at your own pace can be applied to every area of life, but I want to share how this concept has influenced my experiences and relationships with the world. One key lesson I've learned is that I don't need to prove anything to anyone. I've spent too much time trying to fit in and get along with those around me, even forcing myself into relationships that didn’t truly belong. This created deep feelings of self-doubt and insecurity. Over the past year, I've come to realize the importance of prioritizing myself. I pushed myself to socialize far beyond my limits, constantly worrying about how others would perceive me if they knew about my anxiety. In doing so, I ended up giving only part of myself, or none at all, to the people I cared about most.

I've learned that when I try to match a pace that’s not mine, my anxiety prevents me from fully embracing the present moment.

The Earth spins around the sun at its own steady pace. So should you. 

Naomi O., University of Wisconsin

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