In order to do just that, I created a project that will address these inaccuracies and share how it truly is. During this, I will use an art journal, using a visual aid to draw how members of my own community describe their thoughts and processes. In addition, I’ll be creating a small journal entry using their words; this will help bring to life how their brains are affecting their daily life while shedding light on these disorders. In addition to members of the community I will be using Mayo Clinic, an American non-profit academic medical center, who provides accurate and researched information on anything ranging from physical or mental health. 

 This can impact the community greatly by giving accurate representation and information; it can not only bring people together but also allow the community to build. My main goal is to learn more about myself and others. I want to know how I can help and support all members of my community. I would like to at least impact someone, anyone.

 
At the end of this I will have digital drawings of accurate interpretations of Major Depressive Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, and Bipolar Disorder. I will also have journal entries explaining the feelings, thoughts, or habits that are common during these states of mind. 

 My main task will to find willing participates to be vulnerable and share their experiences with me. I am very excited to learn more information about myself and others, and to hopefully impact someone for the better. I know most people feel alone in this small town; I want them to know they are not. The most difficult part about this project is myself, mainly because I suffer from many mental illnesses myself that can affect my productivity and time management, but I feel I can overcome it.

Provided below are some common misconceptions with Depression, Anxiety, and Bipolar:

Seeing the bigger picture is something that I was bound to learn more about, especially for this project. Often I can become overwhelmed in my own thoughts and emotions. I forget how complex everyone else is and that I’m not alone in this strange existence. Reading the answers of the surveys really changed my perspective, especially since I have known these volunteers very closely. It’s surprising how there always seems to be something new or unexpected about a person. With all the answers bundled together, it actually gave me a common trend that followed in many of the questions. Using that information helped me realize how we are all similar is some aspects, and for some it may be relating over a mental illness. To apply this in my own current life, I realize how just a few simple words or actions can completely impact a person. I think others, as well as myself, forget how powerful and capable humans actually are. It makes me think about every step I take, every breath I breathe. I want to be a positive influence or impact on someone’s life, which is why I’m glad my project can directly correlate. I must admit doing the project made me look at not just a school community, but humans as a whole. 

Procrastination is not a new lesson for me, but more of a demanding reminder of that lesson I continue to ignore. I know many of us, if not, all of us, have procrastinated on chores or other tasks. It just so happens at the time I am writing this speech is less than 24 hours before I have to present it. It’s odd that this lesson is so important, yet myself and others refuse to learn it properly. In my project it was something I needed to learn, and quickly, since even missing just one day could send the entire project back by a heavy workload. I needed to make sure to get in contact with my volunteers, complete the sketch ideas, and update my blog as soon as possible. Though procrastination may not be a one and done lesson, it still contributed heavily to the project. I feel more confident that for future endeavors, I can keep my tasks in an organized timeline, giving myself optimum time for any setbacks that I may not be able to control.

The final, and I believe to be the most important lesson I have taken away from this experience is simple: self validation. Many of the responses I read have dealt with issues I have faced myself, and the pattern that shows is the victim believes that THEY are the one defective. That THEY could be better, or do better. This has been forced into our minds as children— that issues always have someone at fault. Obviously the common thing to do is blame the self, since most humans have underlying insecurities that directly impact them. The reason many of these insecurities exist is due to a mental illness. In my project, this was very much the case. All participants reported blaming themselves time and time again over something they could not control. This can be managed by introducing self validation, the action of validating any emotions or concerns, yet not placing blame or accusations on the self. By introducing the self validation into my project, it helped increase my productivity, especially because I often fell into a slump of not wanting to continue or put forth my best effort.

In conclusion, my project has changed my view point on many lessons that appeared in my work: seeing the full picture, procrastination, and self validation. I can now apply my new findings into my future and present, knowing how to change and better myself as a person. I am grateful to have worked on this project. It has given me many opportunities to find more about the others around me and ultimately, myself.