Year: Junior
Major: Psychology
Minor: Forensics
I feel it is important for people to be able to talk about their emotions and be able to express themselves. Growing up, I was shy and had a hard time expressing my emotions. When something would bother me, I kept it to myself. Over time, little things would add up and I would dump all my issues I’ve had with a person on them. This affected my relationships with friends and intimate partners. Once I realized this was an issue, I tried making my needs known. However, I struggled to say them in a way that made sense to others; I felt as if they didn't care for my feelings. That’s when I started seeing a counselor on campus. We talked about emotional trauma from childhood and my need for intimacy. Through counseling, I was able to identify key characteristics that I value in friends and potential partners and find validation in different forms of intimacy.
Beyond sharing my experience with getting help when I needed it, I try to create spaces where people feel supported and comfortable talking about mental health. As a peer health educator, I bring awareness through presentations that I give and campus events that I help plan. It’s important to reduce the stigma so people who may need help can feel supported and safe doing so. There are a lot of social constructs in our society that make people feel small and like they should have to change who they are to fit the latest trends or please others. If we all accept that everyone carries some sort of baggage and help each other work through our issues without judgment, we could all have healthier conversations with ourselves and others around us.
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