24F Positive Psychology Gratitude Assignment PDF

Fear is a Good Friend of Mine Page 1 Fear is a Good Friend of Mine; A Tribute to Change and Opportunity Amber Charbonneau-Sauve 24F Positive Psychology...

Fear is a Good Friend of Mine Page 1 Fear is a Good Friend of Mine; A Tribute to Change and Opportunity Amber Charbonneau-Sauve 24F Positive Psychology January 8th 2025 Word count: Fear is a Good Friend of Mine Page 2 Abstract Gratitude has been a challenging concept for me, this is particularly due to my history of feeling unlucky. Nevertheless, within the past 2 years I have begun to work on the skill. I have realized that focusing on my unlucky past makes it difficult for me to feel grateful for the present. Due to my unlucky past I often find myself ruminating, or feeling fearful toward my future. I have begun to understand that fear is not always negative, in fact, I believe that experiencing fear is an amazing thing. Not only can fear protect us from potential danger, but it can remind us of how much we care about the subject of our fear, along with how important it is for us to acknowledge that fear and persevere regardless. This paper explores how many of my life experiences, including attending Camp, working in The White House, and participating in programs like YPHU and SWAC, have shaped my journey and helped me embrace fear as a source of strength. Fear is a Good Friend of Mine Page 3 Fear is a Good Friend of Mine By reflecting on my past experiences, I have come to realize that conquering fear has been essential for me to begin my journey of learning how to embrace gratitude, and that with each opportunity I'm presented, though often led by fear, has contributed to my growth. My longest-standing opportunity, that I’m deeply grateful for, is attending summer camp. I’ve been going to the same summer camp since I was 7, and I’m endlessly grateful for the chance to attend annually as I believe that it’s taken a big part in shaping who I am today. As a child, I struggled with having a poor sense of self and high levels of anxiety. In elementary school, I was often bullied and found myself fearing the idea of being myself or beginning to figure out who that was at the very least. With camp being such a structured and naturally welcoming environment, I felt I could do the self-discovery that I didn’t feel safe enough to do in the city. Camp encouraged me to do things that were out of my comfort zone without feeling judgment from my peers and taught me that people appreciate those around them who are true to themselves. Now as a counsellor, I see that my journey mirrors a majority of campers I connect with. This serves as a reminder of how crucial it is for individuals to embrace moments of fear as stepping stones toward their greatest potential. I’m grateful for all the experiences camp has given me and will continue to, as I believe it has given me strong morals, a better sense of self and more confidence within myself. The concept of embracing fear for the sake of opportunity and connection became present once again when I began high school. Throughout high school I struggled with my attendance as I was often absent 2-4 days a week, I struggled to get through the day without anxiety attacks, and other physical manifestations of my anxiety. My ability to perform well in my classes was limited due to a lack of support for my undiagnosed learning disabilities, which were not Fear is a Good Friend of Mine Page 4 diagnosed until after high school. In grade 10, I was kicked out of my university level English class due to my absences and a lack of submitted coursework. Failing this class led me to be put in The White House, a credit recovery center at my school, which became an unexpectedly positive turning point for me. My fear of failure initially put me in a state of hopelessness for myself and my education, but the support I received in The White House allowed me to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Mr. Imbleau, the main teacher in the White House, was the biggest support for me during this time. He allowed me to do several more courses than what was typically allowed per student in The White House to make my schooling easier, as I found it daunting in a regular classroom due to the class sizes. He would give me creative projects such as decorating for holidays, painting murals, etc, to go towards a credit while also giving me a sense of purpose in my low periods. Though I struggled, I’m grateful that this period of my life forced me to confront my fears, seek support, and eventually led me to push myself to a new opportunity. Despite my positive experience in The White House, I switched to Sir Guy Carleton High School during my second semester of grade 12. I felt stuck in my past experiences with my peers at my previous school and knew that a change was necessary. Despite this, at first the change was still very fear-inducing. After a short adjustment period, this opportunity became very special to me as the month I spent at Sir Guy was infinitely better than the 3 and a half years I spent at my previous high school. The teachers were all so kind and patient, the students were all welcoming to me despite my shyness, and the support systems were extremely helpful. Within my first week they set up several meetings to discuss any needs I had such as my learning processes, and even my mental health. They allowed me to work in the credit recovery center they had, along with allowing me to create an unusual course which enabled me to use my Fear is a Good Friend of Mine Page 5 creativity freely. I was able to set up a volunteering course, and they gave me permission to offer to other students who needed to complete credits while they got to help support those in need. Although my time at Sir Guy was short lived, I am grateful for the positive experience that I had. It taught me that change can be good and that I can survive stepping out of my comfort zone unscathed. As I briefly mentioned, I was only able to stay at Sir Guy for a short period of time since I ended up leaving for another opportunity about a month later. During this time, despite my fondness for Sir Guy, I was struggling mentally, leading me to be referred to resources for support. Through these resources, I was referred to a treatment program at The Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre called YPHU. I received a call soon after I had started at Sir Guy that there was a spot in the program for me. I was scared to finalize the decision of leaving Sir Guy to join YPHU since it was filled with so much uncertainty and felt like it could be a setback for me. It's bittersweet to think about missing part of an opportunity for another, but I’m grateful I did it nonetheless. YPHU was beneficial for me to learn new coping skills, become more comfortable with opening up and understanding my behaviours. One thing I found extremely helpful that I learned from the program was DBT skills, such as practicing mindfulness, learning about cognitive distortions and distress tolerance: TIPP (Temperature, intense exercise, paced breathing and progressive muscle relaxation). I was at YPHU for 3 months and I am grateful that I was able to make some new friends, learn many new things about mental health and find a medication that was right for me. Overall, I believe that even though this opportunity disrupted another, I'm glad it all went the way it did and I'm grateful for everything I learned. While at YPHU, myself and the other patients were given a presentation about SWAC and offered to consider the opportunity. At first, I was scared to reach out to see if I was eligible Fear is a Good Friend of Mine Page 6 because I feared the possibility of being turned down. I spoke with the teacher in YPHU about it and she insisted on setting up a meeting with Donna to at least ask and give it a shot. Any situation like this in most other cases, I would find myself avoiding showing up, or canceling out of fear but despite feeling that way I showed up. During the meeting, Donna said she would take on my case despite it not fully aligning with the school’s eligibility requirements. Since starting at SWAC I've felt extremely grateful for Donna’s flexibility to give me this opportunity as it has been nothing short of amazing. The teachers have shown me endless amounts of kindness and flexibility, along with all of the other students being friendly as well. While in SWAC, I've been able to learn an abundance about post secondary schooling and narrow down some of my options. All in all, I’m grateful that SWAC has been a wonderful opportunity to allow me to learn so much in such a warm and welcoming environment. Ultimately, reflecting on these experiences has allowed me to recognize that fear has not only protected me from potential harm but has also led me to embrace opportunities I would have otherwise avoided. These opportunities have allowed me to possess a strong sense of empathy, a firm moral compass, as well as, to be resilient and to grow as a person above all. I’m grateful for the lessons learned, the memories to keep and most importantly, I’m grateful that fear is such a good friend of mine.