Personal Reflection

I know that my journey to get where I am now has been a unique journey that is very different, in most cases, to other people in my position; though I feel this is not a disadvantage. My life experiences have made me into the persistent, understanding, determined, and caring person that I am today. I am not saying that my journey to get here was anything but easy, but in the end, life always has a funny way of working out sooner or later. When I moved to university, it was a very dramatic change though this is the typical experience for people coming right from high school. The transition to university from high school is a very big step; you are now more independent, trying to manage a heavy course load, and maintain healthy or somewhat healthy habits throughout all the chaos. Many people report that int their first year of university, they had symptoms of depression scattered throughout and that there was a high level of anxiety just to cope with all the rapid occurring change (LeMoult et al., 2015). This is something that I experienced as well and though I never want to see anyone struggling, it is sometimes nice to just know you are not alone. Though, we all adapt. It definitely took me some time and, as much as I hate to admit it, my first semester of my first-year marks is not what I hoped they would be but life continues on. This has also been something reported that though many students feel depressed and of overwhelmed in their first year of university; these feelings usually dissipate as the school years continue and the person begins to more effectively adjust (LeMoult et al., 2015).

As I continue through my schooling, I have also learned to look on more of the bright side from my personal experiences and give myself more credit than I have in the past. Majority of people with siblings who have chronic disabilities report having little involvement in their care (Pruchno et al., 1996), this was not the case for me though I have found it has greatly helped with many aspects of my program. I have lived the life that my patients may live which allows me to better relate to them. My experience with mental health, addiction, and living with someone facing quadriplegia allows me to better adapt my practices to create more accessible and well-rounded care to those I hope to one day serve. I am also very glad that my schooling will also not only benefit others but also myself when in the future I become my sisters more full-time caregiver. This is why, as stated before, though the journey has been rough, I cannot wait to see what the future beholds.