Originally written on October 22, 2018
For my 10th post for Blog Ahead, I thought it might be fun to pause and reflect for a bit. I wanted to take a moment to look back to 10 years ago and remember where I was at then and think about how far I've come. I've been struggling with my mental health over these last few months, but I know that one of the best tools that helps when you're feeling a bit stuck is to reflect and focus on all of your accomplishments instead of focusing on how much you want to accomplish in the future.
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10 years ago I was...
-A freshman in college. I was living in Woodland Hall and loving being able to see my friends any time I wanted just by knocking on their door that was only a few steps away. I was a Fashion Merchandising major but was feeling a little unsure about it (I would eventually change my major to Communication/Creative Advertising at the end of my first semester) and trying to find my place in a solid friend group.
-Living with anxiety but did not have a word for how I felt. The first time I remember feeling this way was the spring of my senior year of high school (also 2008) and I honestly had no idea what was happening or how I could control it. All I knew was that I was panicking often without a reason why, and that carried itself with me into college.
-Still getting over my high school boyfriend and navigating life outside of my friend groups from home. Though I was having a lot of fun with the new friends I was making, there were things I was missing in my old life and being on my own for the first time was a tough adjustment. I was doing a lot of discovering who I was, what was important to me, and what path I wanted to go down... and this was only the beginning!
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| Having a dance party in my dorm room... (September 2008) |
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| ...and making new friends left, right, and center! (September 2008) |
Today I am...
-Still in the college environment, but now as a professional! I am in my fourth year as an #SApro and my seventh year of working in the field after college. #WAT. When I started college, I definitely did not predict that it would be my career (mainly because I didn't realize that it could even be a career), but here I am. Thinking about my little freshman self warms my heart a bit because I know that I've connected with students throughout my career that were in very similar situations that I was in back in 2008, and I know I'll encounter more students like this in the future. It makes me realize that even though I was facing some challenges in my life, I got through them and I can get through more challenges that come my way in the future.
-Still living with and navigating anxiety on a regular basis. Mental health is a fickle thing and it's still one of my biggest challenges to this day. I am thankful that I can name it, however, and know that I have options and coping mechanisms when things get particularly hard, so that's definitely a step up from where I was 10 years ago!
-In a full-blown grown up relationship which is nearly 6 years strong, and have made some really strong friendship connections as well along the way that I've been proud to maintain through time and distance. I've definitely made some really great relationships in my adult life thus far that I know I'll bring with me for years to come.
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| #doodiegang in Pittsburgh, before supporting me through my 7th marathon! (June 2018) |
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| Long distance runner! (June 2018) |
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| Taking the leap on a solo trip to SF for a job interview! (July 2018) |
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| Entering my 4th year as an #SApro at a new institution in a new role! (August 2018) |
I'm still working on figuring myself out through the many up and downs in life. I've grown and changed so much over these last 10 years of life. I was looking back at photos from the last 10 years for this post and there were so many instances where I could honestly say that I'm a completely different person now. Not in any particular good or bad way, just different. Different priorities, goals, interests... just different. And I've grown so much in a lot of ways that I'm really proud of. I'm facing different challenges, that's very true, but I know that 10 years down the line, I'll look back on this post and know that I got through it and will feel stronger and more confident in myself... much like I'm feeling now. :)
Where were you 10 years ago? How does that compare to where you are today?
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