Personal Narrative: My Life As A Roller Coaster

Some say that life is like a roller coaster. That may be true, but no one ever tells you how many ups or downs you’re going to have or the fact that you’re getting on that roller coaster completely blind, unknowing to the many inevitable obstacles and loops you’ll go through. Everyone has their own specially built roller coaster that’s unique from anyone else’s, and mine looks a lot like a steady, upwards track leading to a deep drop when least expected.

My childhood was no different from your average white suburban kid. I was privileged enough to live in a decent house and grow up in a safe community with my mother, father, and two older brothers. I was lucky enough to travel somewhere new almost every vacation I had with my family- to Colorado
I was never challenged or struggled at all regarding my studies during those years, which was most likely why school was so challenging when I entered high school. I became overwhelmed by the rigor of my AP classes and the 4,000 students scurrying through the hallways like ants. Being in such a largely populated school led to an insanely competitive environment that I was not accustomed to. I soon became deeply depressed, because I lacked confidence and was unhappy with who I was. I carried this heavy clump of apathy, fatigue, and general emptiness with me wherever I went no matter what. It got to the point of self-harm, which I still regret to this day, but the combination of medication, therapy sessions, and track and field helped me push through it and accept myself a little more. I still struggle with this from time to time, but I feel it has helped me focus more on my academics and athletics as a sort of distraction from the illness. I also feel that I became a new person. Someone who is more in control of her feelings and understanding of others and their own adversities. I learned then that life is not as seamless as it appears to be for some people, and it will always be a lesson I will never