Personal Growth and Reflections

Throughout my life I’ve dealt with extreme anxiety and that has made a lot of situations hard for me. I struggled to make friends growing up and struggled to interact with anyone in general. Most just assumed I was shy, but I was struggling with anxiety. Overtime I thought it went away but it continued to manifest in different ways. Now I am an RA who has to take on somewhat of an outgoing goal and it has definitely helped me to come out of my shell. I still get anxious, but I have managed to find ways to overcome it. Anxiety is one of the most common mental health disorders, and often goes untreated. Overtime I’ve learned to live with it and adjust but I’d advise anyone who can get help to seek it. I’ve gone to the health center here on campus and have been making use of my resources this far. 

Growing up my dad always told me to be a leader and not a follower, additionally my role as an RA has turned me into more of a leader. I’ve been able to offer insight and advice to people, mediate conflicts, give my input and ideas, as well as work in a team. All things my younger self would’ve never seen me doing today. Being a leader in college didn’t start with my RA role, it started with me doing things differently and taking up for myself. In high school and middle school, a lot of times I let myself get pushed over and taken advantage of and it wasn’t a good feeling. My senior year of high school I finally learned to speak up for myself and remove myself from damaging situations, and that’s something I carried over to college. 

Additionally, I’ve learned a lot about myself. I enjoy listening to R&B, learning new steps (on the step team), binge watching shows, hanging out with friends and family, hanging out with my boyfriend, and sharing moments with those close to me. I learned I like having time to decompress and treat myself. 

Here is a quote from an actress that I liked that I feel like I can relate to. 

“I want to be around people that do things. I don’t want to be around people anymore that judge or talk about what people do. I want to be around people that dream and support and do things.” ― Amy Poehler