This week, we were meant to photograph something that represented our mood. I chose to capture one of the trees in my neighborhood that is trying so hard to grow it is doing so through a chain link fence. If the fence were to be removed, the tree would be much larger at this point in time, but it was never removed and therefore its growth is stunted.
This could be some metaphor on perseverance but I felt that wouldn’t suit me very well. I’m not really the type to work hard, or at least that’s how I’ve been feeling lately. I’m having trouble keeping up with my responsibilities– my schoolwork, getting my driver’s license, finding a college– and I’m realizing the root (haha) of my problems is the stuff I’ve never bothered working through.
I get so mad at myself for not doing well enough, but I’m doomed to never reach my full potential, never grow, unless I address my mental health. I need to find better ways to cope with my anxiety and depression than just letting it wash over me. The people in my life say I’m strong for surviving, just like this tree, but I have to remove my own fence, or at least ask others to help me.