This is Isabelle Friedman and she is RESILIENT.
CONTENT WARNING: The I Am Resilient Project provides an open space for people to share their personal experiences. Some content in this post and on this website will include topics that you may find difficult.
Describe the situation where you had to be resilient:
I had a major mental breakdown that turned into a state of depression. I got furloughed due to COVID-19, my boyfriend of three years and I broke up, and I had to move out of our home together. All in 3 months.
Isabelle’s Story:
I’ve always had diagnosed depression and anxiety. But I’ve always been high functioning, on the right medications, going to therapy, and able to live a relatively happy life. In February 2020, things came crashing down, and at the time, I had no idea why. I was in the midst of studying for the California teaching exams because my now ex-boyfriend and I had planned on eventually moving there. The plan was to get my masters in elementary education while living in Florida and then move to California, which is where we wanted to end up permanently. But in February, I began having panic attacks while at work, which is something that had never happened to me before.
I slowly found myself being undeniably sad, every day. I also had a partially torn ligament in my ankle, and as a highly active person, this did not help. I had my first ever suicidal thoughts. My therapist and I decided that I would stop studying for the exams and I would figure it all out. That didn’t help. I was MISERABLE.
I went home to New Jersey to see my parents for ten days in March. And that is the ten days in which COVID began hitting hard. The preschool I worked at closed down. My boyfriend and I didn’t know where our relationship was headed. He was having trouble managing my anxiety and depression. Ultimately, I decided to return to Florida so that we could work on our relationship and I would apply to other jobs. Jobs outside of education where I could just begin to figure out what I wanted to do with my life.
During this time, I began actively applying to jobs and I also decided to become a certified personal trainer. However, my now ex-boyfriend decided he didn’t see us getting married in the long-term. We still had to live together for six weeks until I could find a place to live.
Now, I have recently moved out, still actively applying to other jobs, still furloughed, and still getting my personal trainer certification. Since moving out of my ex-boyfriend’s place, I have found that I am more resilient than I ever thought. I just kept moving, knowing that one day everything would fall into place. It’s just about taking it day by day and step by step.
How did you practice resilience when faced with this challenge?
I turned to a support system. I went to therapy, I spoke to my family constantly, and I tried to get myself out of the house as much as possible to breathe some fresh air. I also turned to exercise.
Please share one piece of advice for people who are going through a similar challenge
I think it’s about trying to take it one day at a time. Figuring out your challenges only for that day and tackling those specific challenges.
???? Jupiter, Florida, USA
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