Humans Of DU: Finding My True Self

Ever since I was young, I felt as if my mentality consumed me. I dealt with a lot of depression and anxiety ever since I was in elementary school, and I found that it became who I was. I think a big part of my personality comes from the fact that I’ve dealt with this, and it made me feel labeled as the disorder itself, I lost everything about me because I had to work through this. Coming into college was especially isolating as I hadn’t completely healed myself or taken any steps to better myself. I know that everyone deals with this, especially college students, but I felt alone and suffocated by trying to find myself while dealing with anxious and depressed thoughts. I think now I’ve been proud to be transparent about it, because of the fact that I know that everyone can relate to some of my thoughts and overthinking.

Recently the thing that has grounded me has been the community I have here and the family back home. I’m fortunate enough to have been given the opportunity to find amazing friends and have a genuine support system in my siblings and parents, that I know not everyone gets. The greatest part of my growth was knowing that the people who surrounded me loved me throughout all of it. Coming to DU has been an eye opening experience that has allowed me to find myself in such a greater depth than I knew before. This year I was very lucky to be given the opportunity to become a resident assistant in one of our housing buildings. I think that through this the connections I’ve found my comfort in who I am. #HumansofDU #WhatsYourStory #DURocks #StudentLife

“Like the ashes of ash I saw rise in the heat” – Macy