A memory that makes me happy is when I was initially accepted into nursing school. As I am the first person in my family to attend college, it brings a smile to my face that I have made it this far and can break the cycle of poverty in my family. This memory also attributes to my motivation to study and apply myself at times that I do not feel like doing anything. My happiness from this memory assists my mind to deflect the negativity and focus on the great things to come when I am finished with school.

To have a positive turnaround in your life, you have to start by getting yourself out of the victimized state of mind mentality. If you are constantly blaming the hand you were dealt, then you will more than likely have a closed off mindset and dwell on the unfortunate circumstances versus applying yourself to get out of those situations in life. I grew up in a very low socioeconomic community with a father that was a severe alcoholic and a mother who was addicted to drugs. At a very young age, I knew that I did not want this lifestyle for myself and I refused to ever drink or consume recreational drugs like my peers in the local community. The turning point for me was when I decided to get away from my local community and peers by joining the Army at 18. This allowed me to get away from the negativity that was around me and provided me with an opportunity to have a stable life. I used to blame the hand that I was dealt, especially when I would see others with things that I didn’t have or opportunities that I did not get to experience because of the socioeconomic status of my immediate family. What I was taught in the army was too take that negative energy and turn it into positive energy to motivate you to succeed by any means necessary. After joining the Army, I began turning my negative experiences in my childhood into positive energy by driving me to want better not only for myself, but especially for my wife and future children. I am now proud to say that I have made the positive life changes that I needed and am now the first person in my immediate family to attend a university.

Aside from the current COVID-19 pandemic, mental health is developing into into one of the biggest problems that the world is facing today. You can even say that the pandemic has left its footprint not only the physical health of the world’s population, but especially our mental health. This is contributing to a variety of things that will not only impact us in the short term, but in the longer term as well. The state of someone’s mental health is not something that you can always see and at times, those who are closest to you may not even know what you’re going through mentally on a daily basis. For some, they feel like there’s no way out and the only way that they can feel better is by ending their lives or taking others with them. For this reason alone, it is vitally important to stand up to those who dismiss others for seeking help with their mental health. It is also important to note that it is crucial for those seeking help to get adequate assistance along the way. Due to the pandemic and current state of the world, suicides have been steadily rising. This stems from the ongoing lockdowns, loss of a job or a family member due to the pandemic, not being able to socialize as we did before the pandemic, and not being able to obtain proper medical care due to many hospitals and clinics only seeing patients who are considered critical. To close things out, I believe that the state of our mental health is turning into one of the worlds biggest problems that we are facing with this pandemic. With the damage that has already accrued, we must take action now to prevent what is destined to come.