All things considered, as I’ve grown up several instances influenced my frame of mind and how I perceive the world around me. If I had to look back onto the starting domino of this chain of events, I’d have to say it's something my aunt told me; “You should only cry when you’re bleeding.” Granted, I don’t think she said that exactly. At 5 or 6 when she said that to me. But I took it that way, especially as I grew up in Oregon. My family had moved to Oregon when I was 7 into hunter’s run apartments and we moved AGAIN when I was 9 to SW Bonnie Meadow Ln, into a fairly nice house. Now, as older children do when they have younger siblings, I didn’t get much attention, but I did have many more responsibilities. Most of which were chores or keeping an eye on my brother, John, and my sister, Mikayla. Mikayla was by all means the closest to me at the time and John was just my younger brother whom my mother adored. Our relationships, however do change but that’s …show more content…
for another paragraph. The real topics of THIS paragraph are the two bullies who lived on my street. These girls were my friends at first, but as we grew older we all changed. At first it was the casual jab at my brother or my sister. “Your sister dresses so weirdly!” “Yeah, she cries a lot too..why can’t she grow up?” And then things soured. “Your brother and sister are so stupid, oh my god.” “Let’s prank your brother” Now although I don’t remember exactly what happened, It was a very long time ago, I do remember getting yelled at for some reason or another and being told “your family comes before your friends.” After that, I never really talked with those two bullies again until one particular instance. This “particular instance” was a very personal agenda I had that sole rainy day which somehow resulted in the two girls shouting at me. There arsenal was what you’d expect of middle schoolers: “IDIOT!”, “DUMBASS”, and my personal favorite “ARE YOU RETARDED?” Those words did not help the situation but idiot and dumbass sure did stick with me through the years. By that point in my life, I had made a horrible mistake. More notable instances and brusque words slung at me like rocks broke my spirit very quickly. Two insults that didn’t get thrown much, latched on to the previous two like hooks. Whore and the aggressive version of fat never really did sit well after that year. In fact, I never really considered that being fat was necessarily a bad thing. Except when it was myself who was the fat one. “You need to start dieting” “No, thanks, Dad.” “Faith, You can get this app to help you eat better.” “Dad, I’m fine. Seriously.” I didn’t start dieting, I just couldn’t.
I had found so much of my comfort in food at times when I was stressed, despite my generally smiley appearance. I have never found another word to properly express how I actually felt during any of this other than stressed. Ultimately, the fear of constant approval from peers and relatives caused me to not diet, but take away the only source of comfort I had. In 8th grade, I heard a peer whom I am now very close with mentioned they hadn’t eaten a lot the entire summer for one reason or another. Which led me to the idea to stop eating and lose weight. It was horrible at first, so I lessened the pain by eating only at dinner. As this went on though, I got less hungry. The stomach pains weakened as school days turned to school weeks, as they formed into two years of living off bare minimum. I reduced my portions in half and snacking became less of an enjoyment and turned into a horrid guilt. It got to the point where friends grew concerned and ask me about bringing me
lunches. “It’s fine,” I would say,“I’m eating at home!” Which wasn’t entirely a lie, but I was eating half portions and I did so for about a year. Before I continue, I stopped that murderous habit this current year. I’ve been eating and working hard on maintaining a balanced meal. But now that we are on the subject this year, I must tell you things do not get better. I will restate the quote my child self heard those years ago; “You should only cry when you’re bleeding.” Now you may think that my story had nothing to do with this quote. The reality, however, is that quote was more of a subconscious command that a small girl grew up holding on to. And as a result of that looming command, that’s what she did. She didn’t cry and bottled her life up until her glass bottle cracked at the seams. Until she realized on a cold dark night when her sister said those austere words, and compared her to a mother she never wanted that she had everything so tightly bound. On the grounds she thought if she shed one little tear her whole world would flood. By 11th grade, I had realized that those instances affected my life more than anything you could dream up in a nightmare. I realized that my depressions and anxieties all stem from one event or one word. In conclusion, whether this made me a better person or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know is that you can grow from bad experiences. And as you grow from them, do take some time to ease some of that air from the stressed bottle and let your past be your past.
It is expressed throughout the video that the concept of food becoming a comfort for an individual undergoing mental stress or trauma is something that could have a major effect on the mental and physical health of this specific kind of person. What resonated most with me while watching this video is the importance of how abuse, trauma or neglect can place so much strain on an individual throughout their life, and how one’s coping mechanisms may be affected by this. Using food as a comfort source is something that is displayed in everyday life; for example the concept of comfort food, midnight snack, or soul food. Throughout the video Binge Eating Addiction it is shown that every time the individual felt down about himself the only way he could pick himself back up mentally was by eating mass amounts of food in a short period of time. It really interested me that this individual talked about how his past trauma and neglect as a child made him presently turn to food as comfort for his
It was a quiet summer day with blue skies and barely any clouds. The birds were outside chirping noisily as if they were performing in a musical. It wasn’t too cold or too hot outside and there was a warm breeze. My parents were very busy with work. They both had full time jobs. I could hear the clicking sounds of their computers typing and the confused looks on their faces. Their busy and confused faces soon turned into frowns. I saw my mom slowly rise up from her chair, mumble some words to herself, and headed towards the yard. At the same time, my brother was throwing dry noodles all over the place and destroying property. He liked biting on things and ripping things, his favorite was eating
The book I read was called, Man’s Search for Meaning, by Viktor Frankl. Viktor Frankl was psychiatrist and philospher who lived through the nazi era, one of the most dehumanizing periods of history, came face to face with conditions that most people couldn’t deal with psychologically. He made the conclusion that the sort of person the prisoner becomes is the result of an inner decision and not the result of outside influences alone. Through observation (in concentration camps, and as a therapist), extensive research, and establishing a doctrine of principles that show the challenges of being human, Frankl developed the idea of logotherapy. Logotherapy is therapy through meaning, derived from the Greek word, logos. The most intriging thought in the book and shows how he faced the challenges may best be summed up in the phrase—“He who has a ‘why’ to live for can bear almost any ‘how’.”
Since I was six years old, my parents decided to divorce. I was shocked because we were six siblings. After divorcing, I lived with my father and he could not bear responsibility for my siblings and I. I was the biggest concern for him because I have twins and he could not be able to take care about two children who have same age. My oldest sister decided to take care of me and she became my mother. She helped me a lot and she became everything for me. Some days, I got some annoyance from my relatives. They
My mother was always stuck watching and taking care of her younger siblings. Sometimes she would get in trouble for not making sure they stayed out of trouble. Not having her own privacy was common for her, since they lived in a...
Common sense phrases are used in everyday life. They deliver a lot of meaning in very few words, whereas Psychological terminology would give us a scientific understanding and explanation of the word or phrase. Below are some examples to explain this.
The second part of the wheel I will consider is my physical well being. I personally believe that each individual has the responsibility to take the needed steps to improve their physical health, including the “ability to carry out daily tasks, achieve fitness, [and] maintain adequate proper nutrition” (Kozier et al., 2009). As a teenager, I often starved myself to lose weight, especially when I was in high school. Most of the time, I felt weak and my stomach pained me greatly. After some time, I decided to change my lifestyle and I knew the changes needed to go beyond my eating habits. Mussel (2005) states, “needs that must be met for the healthy maturation of the physical body include: oxygen, food, water, rest, exercise, sensory stimulation, safety and security” (p.116). I quit starving myself and started to eat
Barbara Coloroso developed a third classroom management approach known as Inner Discipline in 2002. Coloroso was a former nun and is now a teacher and an author. She firmly dislikes the idea of a “quick-fix” solution to discipline problems. Instead, she advices teachers to focus on helping students develop inner discipline that will allow them to recognize their mistakes, and allow them to take responsibility for her or his actions. Even more, teachers should encourage students to think through solutions, and correct their faults. Santilli & Hudson (1992) suggest that this can be achieved by simply discussing ethical and moral problems that are in the news. Encouraging adolescents to think through issues out loud. Without challenging his or her point of view, wonder aloud about how others might have different perspectives on the issue and what might cause others to have these different perspectives. Teachers who follow this approach believe that school becomes a place where both teachers and students work together to learn, relate, grow and create a community.
I sweated off what little I ate and more, which is known as exercise bulimia. This was difficult to face when I realized I was bulimic. I told myself I wasn’t, and that everything will be alright, but it wasn’t. I was weak, pail, and seemed gloomy most of the times. I would have black outs at some points at home while I was alone. I missed my period for months, almost reaching a year without my menstrual cycle. I was terrified of what was going to happen next, until I decided it was best if I let someone know. The only person I told was my best friend Anna. The hardest part while telling her was looking at her cry. I never knew someone cared for me as much as it showed in her. Speaking about bulimia for the first time was a challenge I experienced because I didn’t know what to say to Anna. My confessions to her about having this eating disorder and how much work it is to hide, and how scared I was about it. I hated myself for developing bulimia in the first place, however I am truly
In the article, “Interest—The Curious Emotion,” researcher Paul J. Sylvia explains “interest,” and breaks down how this emotion functions in the average individual. Although not recognized by many theories, interest is indeed an emotion. Interest can be associated with happiness, yet the two are two distinct emotions. Components of interest include muscles of the forehead and eyes that express deep concentration. Sylvia states that other aspects of interest involve fast-paced speech and greater frequency in voice (Sylvia 2008). Emotions allow orientation of goals; interest’s motives are to stimulate learning and exploration.
I started lots of diets, working out, and skipping meals. I would drink only non-fat liquids all day (mostly water). I would get very hungry, but I didn’t eat. That whole semester was all about getting skinny. I would weigh myself every day and look in the mirror continuously. My behavior changed a lot. I would binge eat in anger and then vomit it all later. I was very irascible. No one wanted to be my friend for being fat and cruel. I was worried and struggled a lot with my weight loss. I saw an immense academic downfall in my studies. That’s when I noticed this wasn’t good for
Of course at the time I did not know of the healthy methods to lose weight, so I turned to the alternative of completely starving myself. It started out as a gradual process, but soon enough it progressed and became extreme and addicting. I loved to push the limits and see how long I could go without putting a single piece of food in my mouth. It was always thrilling to be able to say I could count each of my ribs or weigh myself and see I was less than 80 pounds. Though in my head, whenever I looked in the mirror I was never satisfied. Like Allison Bechdel, author of “The Ordinary Devoted Mother,” told her
His job moved him again, and in order to get a raise, he had to move. We packed our bags and left Utah. My brother, however, decided he wanted to live in Louisiana rather than Arkansas. He went back home, and I unloaded my belongings in my new home. I met kids in my neighborhood and my father introduced me to the children of the friends he’d met through his job. During the summer, all I had were a few male friends who weren’t interested in the girly things I was. So, I was pretty sad. I missed Kaylee and McKinnley. Going from a happy home in Utah with friends, to a home in Arkansas with no friends was a hard thing. My school in Arkansas wasn’t any better, either. The kids were rude and didn’t want to be my friend. I quickly got out of the situation and moved back home with my
Christmas eve ended with me crying on our living room floor because my mom wanted me to eat just one of her famous sugar cookies. Her cookies had always been one of my favorite Christmas traditions, but this year when I looked at the cookies, all I could see were calories and guilt. They smelled and looked delicious, but just the thought of taking one bite filled me with anxiety and fear. I consider this the moment I realized my eating disorder had completely taken over my life. I had become obsessed with calories and weight as a way to feel in control of my life and gain confidence. In reality, my eating disorder had slowly stripped me of my independence, health, and happiness. After that Christmas, I finally decided to seek help after months of struggling, and at the age of 17, I began an intensive outpatient treatment program.
I never noticed how much psychology could be incorporated into everyday life. But really, any decision or action you take is related to it. I have personally been extremely interested in social psychology: why people do things because of social norms, what people do in order to look socially acceptable, etc. Others topics I also find interesting are sensation and perception; how past experiences can influence how you perceive the things around you, states of consciousness; how things that have happened in your day can be transferred into a mash of events in your dreams, motivation and emotion; what makes a person do something or what makes a person start or stop procrastination, and lastly: personality; what characteristics and traits stand out the most in a person, what makes a person who they are.