Personal Narrative: My Experience With Severe Depression

A reason I believe I experienced severe depression was because I wasn’t willing to share the emotions I was going through with others. I learned through this struggle that dissociating from difficulties is a short term solution that can inevitably cause more hurt than ease. Most would agree that the fear, stress, and anxiety I felt were reasonable emotions to come across during this situation, they are a natural part of life. Individuals that can balance and acknowledge these emotions accordingly, so they do not become overwhelmed, can actually become driven and focused because of them. This circumstance was a turning point in my life where I had the choice to continue in sadness with a grim outlook, or to accept my circumstances and focus

on the positive experiences in life instead. I learned to shift my thoughts and actions away from the uncertain future and to engage myself in opportunities that would help me flourish. Through my church I volunteered to help and donate to families and individuals that were experiencing homelessness. I met a few individuals whose families had similar legal situations as my own. I realized that the legal situations with my mother could’ve had a much worse outcome than what came to be, such as her immediate removal, which is a common occurrence for cases like these.