Skip to main content
Humanities LibreTexts

Dear Younger Self - by Ashley Rascon

  1. Last updated
  2. Save as PDF
  • Page ID
    179083

    • Ashley Rascon at Pima Community College
    \( \newcommand{\vecs}[1]{\overset { \scriptstyle \rightharpoonup} {\mathbf{#1}} } \) \( \newcommand{\vecd}[1]{\overset{-\!-\!\rightharpoonup}{\vphantom{a}\smash {#1}}} \)\(\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \(\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\)\(\newcommand{\AA}{\unicode[.8,0]{x212B}}\)

    Dear younger self,

    I want to start off by saying I’m proud of you. Your 20’s were rough, and you had to face many challenges. During these challenges you were faced with a lot of depression, and still until this day you struggle with anxiety. Depression runs in your family. You will see your mom and your sister go through rough times. All three of you will seek help and will be put on medication and that is ok! Events that happen in your life will put you in a dark place. The best way to describe it is like you’re in quicksand and can’t get out of it. But you end up coming out of that dark place. Through medication and counseling you were able to beat depression. I want to say that I am proud of you for seeking help and realizing that mental illness is a serious medical condition that cannot be overlooked, but please do not give up.

    I know at times it seems so far from your reach and that it may feel like you are going to feel depressed and anxious forever, but you will overcome it. Mental illness is an everyday battle; it’s not something that goes away from one day to the next. Mental illness runs in your family. Mental health will be talked about more as you get older. The anxiety seems to never really go away it’s a challenge you will be faced with every day. The more that you are open about your mental health and the struggles you face other people will come forth and talk to you about their struggles as well. This makes it easier to know that you are not alone.          

    You’ll go through your 20’s learning a lot about yourself. When you hit your 30’s you will feel like you can conquer anything. You will have your first baby. Something you’ve been wanting for so long. You will experience postpartum depression. That’s a type of depression I don’t think you were prepared for. People will tell you “You just had a baby how could you be so sad?” Its really something you can’t control and that will be the biggest hurdle you will have to jump. Post- partum depression is hard to deal with because you just had a baby, you feel alone, your body just went through so many changes, and you become extremely anxious. A first-time mom and suddenly you are faced with so many challenges that you were not prepared for. This is going to be the hardest most rewarding time in your life. Thank goodness you have the best support system in the world. This depression and anxiety that you feel will soon turn into bliss and happiness. Just be patient with yourself and live in the moment.

     So, I say this to you my younger self. Be gentle with yourself don’t be so hard on yourself and don’t worry through all the pain, anxiety, and hurt. You will flourish. You will learn to love yourself so much. With all the resources out there and all the love and support that you receive you will come out of your depression. Here are my words of advice to you. Surround yourself with family and friends, exercise, go to counseling, learn to love yourself, and learn to accept what you are going through. You are not alone. I am so proud of you.

    Love,

    your older self

    This page titled Dear Younger Self - by Ashley Rascon is shared under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Ashley Rascon at Pima Community College.