Forgotten On August nineteenth, 2005 my mom gave birth to two twin boys. They were born prematurely, which puts them at risk for learning disabilities as well as many other cognitive disorders as they got older. As we grew up and started school, I excelled in all areas, but my brothers only fell behind. Typically the older siblings naturally feel like they are being set aside for their younger siblings, but my experiences felt worse than simply being left behind. I felt forgotten completely. When highschool came around, I overburdened myself with schoolwork, FFA leadership, and music at the state and national level, but I felt I was never appreciated. My mother is an amazing teacher and she cares so much for her students, but I do not recognize that woman as my mother. She is not the same within the four walls of our home. She used to send me to school crying,which led to more yelling, making the problem worse. Eventually, my mom started to comment on certain things that made me self conscious to the point where I started to hate everything about myself. She would point out my weight or what I ate during the day and I would feel the need to starve myself to the point where I had terrible migraines at school. Or I would work myself into the ground to impress her, which would never amount to any praise or encouragement. As a young adult, I’m learning that what I acclimated myself to as a teenager has caused me to have symptoms of anxiety, OCD, and depression. Recently, I was able to get my first job at Dutch Bros in my hometown. This job helps me to see the positive in every day, and see what healthy relationships are like. I get to see that I am an extraordinary human, even though I went through my whole life feeling like I would never be enough. Every day I am learning how to manage my state of mind and to love myself, even when I feel that I am being pulled down.