Given everything that’s going on in the world, it’s no wonder there has been a reported increase in teens experiencing depression and anxiety. But it doesn’t have to take a pandemic to cause high stress levels in our brain: school, exams, family, and even friendship drama, can cause the brain to respond with anxiety that prohibits us from feeling and doing our best.

In April 2018 I was up late, watching the World Cheerleading Championships streamed live from the USA. The previous year I had managed Team England ParaCheer …