Personal Narrative: How Visualization Changed My Life

I grew up in a small country town in Alabama. It is the type of place where everyone knows your name and all of your business. In my early childhood, I had the “picture perfect” family. My parents were still happily married. My father was a lawyer and my mom an elementary school teacher. My sister is four years older than me and we were very close. Our family felt quality time was very important and made a habit of always eating meals together. My father went out of his way to have “Daddy-Daughter Days” where he took off work and we just spent time together. My dad struggled silently with depression for a very long time. Due to the stigma of mental illness in my area he didn't receive the treatment he needed. When I was 8 years old, he committed

I try to look at all sides of a situation. I like to think in gray instead of black and white. Visualization is the best style for me to learn in, if I can see how things work I will understand it better. I went to a public 1-A school. There were 600 students K-12. My graduating class contained 45 students. My mother was an elementary teacher at the school so she was involved with all of my functions. I was the president of Key Club for my last 2 years. I participated in SGA and Diamond Dolls but Key Club is where I devoted most of my time to. High school was relatively easy for me and I did well. I attended class regularly and graduated Magnum Cum Laude. During my Junior and Senior year I participated in dual enrollment with the local community college. I did not have an official job in high school but I did babysit every

I try to be as social and outgoing as I can be. I am a big people person and one of my strengths is my ability to help others. I am very empathetic and I would say it’s my biggest strength. The reason I want to help others is because there was a time in my life where no one would help me. It’s a very dark place when you're unable to get the help you need. I struggled with severe anxiety and depression for years. No one in my family knew what to do because mental health resources are so scarce where I am from. It took years and a traumatic event for me to get treatment. I spent a year in a Residential Treatment Center to deal with addiction. My biggest accomplishment is the day I graduated the program. It hasn’t always been smooth sailing since then but I have definitely grown as a person. College has been a hard adjustment and I’ve struggled with my past behaviors. When I think of changing myself, I wish it weren't so hard for me to be a healthy person. I struggle daily and this past year it has really affected my academics. My biggest fear is that I will not reach a place where I can help others. There are times where I feel hopeless and I wonder how I can help other people if I can not help myself. How can I show others the possibility of recovery if I can not achieve recovery? I also worry how anyone can truly love me when I have so many issues. I am at stage 6 of Erikson’s and I deeply struggle with intimacy. I do not like for