My Experience With Obstacles

Everyone faces obstacles in life, it is simply the human condition; however, it is the way we face and conquer those obstacles in which they are given meaning. Through our journey in conquering these obstacles, we are able to strengthen ourselves and share our story to strengthen others. As the German-American author and poet Charles Bukowski once wrote, “what matters most is how well you walk through the fire.” That fire I had to walk through was anxiety. While anxiety most certainly had a negative impact on my life, it is through this experience in which new doors were and still are opening for me. My experience with anxiety helped me become the person that I am. Initially, my anxiety began sophomore year of high school. No longer was
I a freshman and I was faced with harder classes and coursework than ever before. Such pressure led me to vast amounts of worry about my grades as well as an overall fear of failure. In addition to that, I began to fear the outside world. The abundance of senseless killings, terrorist attacks, and other horrible events that happen every day had begun to have a sizable impact on my mental health and I was afraid and anxious to be exposed to the outside world. Frequent panic attacks plagued me and I sat locked in my room pondering why such thoughts were troubling me, instead of spending time with friends and family. However, that all changed one day. In March of 2017 I attended a Kairos retreat in Barnstable, Massachusetts with my fellow peers at St. John’s. On day three of the retreat we were each required to stand in front of the group consisting of over 30 students and faculty members. We were instructed to discuss a personal obstacle, struggle, or burden that we were facing. Each student went to the front of the room with their burdens and revealed them to the group. By the end of the activity, we were all in tears; a group of 30 adults and young men— completely vulnerable— and confiding in one another. This was the most powerful emotional experience I had ever felt.

This experience greatly strengthened my willpower to overcome anxiety as well as to overcome all obstacles I am faced with. Kairos also shaped the person whom I have currently become, a person with strong amounts of empathy for others. Upon realizing that I was not the only one facing extremely difficult times, I pledged to bring immense amounts of love and kindness to everyone I meet. With this mindset, I plan on seizing every great service opportunity made available to me in college to help others who struggle every day with obstacles, most of which are far worse than anxiety. I believe the helplessness I felt from anxiety no where near amounts to the helplessness that those without homes, food, or loving family feel. By showing kindness toward others, I have been blessed with the ability to overcome my anxiety. There is still a long way to go in becoming the morally complete person I strive to be; however, the greatest advice I give to myself and others every single day in this journey is to always treat others with utmost kindness, for we do not know the fires in which they are walking through...