I have passions in countless facets of life. Cooking, cycling, creating art, architecture, fashion, playing musical instruments, volleyball, and learning bring me an immense amount of joy and fulfillment. Although many of these passions seem unrelated, they were all found and maintained to cope with my mental health struggles. Since I was a young child I have struggled with mental illness, and I recently discovered I have post traumatic stress disorder as well as obsessive compulsive disorder. One of the many ways I cope is by keeping my mind busy. So, whether it is drawing during class or painting an elaborate art piece, I have found that my mind drifts away from all of the anxiety and sadness that my intrusive thoughts pull me to. Playing music allows me to add beauty and harmony into the world that is usually arduous to find. Athletics is centered around finding comfort in discomfort. When I am cycling up an intimidating hill, lactic acid builds in my quads and my mind tells me I am incapable of reaching the pinnacle of this climb. However, by making exercise one of the hallmarks of my day and my life, I have been able to prove that mindset wrong. I ride 100 mile bike rides, I am the captain of my volleyball team, and I have proven to myself that I actually can reach the top. My love for cooking, architecture, and fashion allow me to slow down this ever-moving treadmill that is my life and my thoughts. I find that appreciating the beauty and intricacies of what we wear, eat, the homes we live in, and the buildings we work in perpetuates mindfulness and gratitude for our world. My passions combat the despondent emotions and cognitions that come with mental illness. Education is the fundamental passion and coping mechanism for my mental health struggles. I learn in two ways: the internet and in therapy. Before the internet was invented and universally used, there were dramatically lower depression, anxiety, and suicide rates compared to today. Because of this, I make it a point to use the internet for good. After much digital exploration, I discovered YouTube channels and podcasts that discuss mental health and mental illness, such as “Other People’s Problems” and “MedCircle”. It is these sources of information that allow me to imbibe hope, information, and a community of others just like me. The other way I cope with mental illness is with therapy. Therapy has forged my positive mindset, my ability to reflect, and my ability to reach my full potential despite living with mental illness. It is beyond sitting in a chair talking about one’s feelings. Therapy is truly about the application of the lessons and tools you learn during each session. Without therapy, I would be bereft of a diagnosis, a set of tools to carry me through my day, or someone who values me and my emotions unconditionally. It is because of my struggle with mental illness and journey towards recovery that I want to dedicate my time, my career, and my life to helping others. I would like to become a clinical psychologist, offering therapy to my patients so they can feel heard, seen, and supported. I aspire to help people for a living. I aspire to unconditionally advocate for someone who needs it just like I did. My passion for learning is reflected in this career goal. With every ounce of adversity I have faced, I found a way to turn it around, extract a lesson out of it, and use it for good.