Personal Narrative: My Childhood Experience

As a young child, I would hide behind my mother and grandmother when anyone was approaching; but when I got home, I was a pretty outgoing kid. Then, in middle school, I was an enthusiastic pre-teen longing for attention, constantly joking around. Friends took my feelings lightly, and began to see me as more of a novelty than as a person. My best friend no longer came to me with her latest crush, or secret. I was alone, and home life was not much better. Constantly having rude words thrown at me, name-calling, and hatred had begun to take a toll on my self confidence and behavior. I became quiet and withdrawn; feeling I could never be good enough. In fact, I believed everyone would be better off without me; I was only creating problems and
Though I started to feel pretty good again, it wasn’t long until I tried to overdose on my prescriptions. I was admitted to the hospital for one week. I then sought support with the Four Winds Psychiatric Hospital in Saratoga Springs, New York for an additional week.
Coming into the program, I was nervous but I kept in mind that I needed real help; I needed to be cooperative with the staff so I could feel like me again. With the in-patient care, I opened up; showing my emotions again. I wanted to make sure my problems were resolved rather than just covered up like mold under fresh paint. I consciously contributed to group therapy with the other teenage girls there, as well as communicating with my individual therapist on days when we would meet.
As I grew in my own strength, I started to realize that the source of my mental drain was my fear of not being accepted. The vitality I developed in listening to myself, learning to cultivate self care and self respect all led to a sense of accomplishment and inner liberation that broke through the confines of my anxiety and
With the help of friends and family, I’m able to be the outgoing, balanced, and happy human that I am today. They helped me overcome my issues, and being surrounded by so much support and love helped me realize my self-worth. My caring boyfriend hasn’t only supported me, he has taught me that I can be independent as well; I can do things on my own, and find ways to keep myself happy. He has taught me the importance of self success over a relationship. Being true to yourself, and striving for your own success. Before you think about stability in any relationship you have to be stable yourself.
I’m now confident that I can do anything I set my mind to. Whether it is something as small as answering the phone, or something as big as going off to college, I know that I can do it now. These qualities have made me who I am today, and they have helped me transition into adulthood. I will continue to take life one day at a time and refrain from becoming overwhelmed. In addition, I now know how to handle situations more efficiently. I can't emphasize enough how important it is to know what your body and mind are trying to tell you. If you rely solely on medications, rather than looking to your inner self for help, you'll have lost yourself in the process. I encourage myself to be free and do the things I want to do, not the things I think I should do. Life is beautiful, and I owe it to myself to experience