Hi Anita,

Upon reflection, I believe your sentiments are spot on. In the past, emotion has often gotten in the way of some of the choices I can make. This can be positive emotions (wanted to do something for someone else, like with the box), or negative emotions (e.g. I didn’t apply to certain colleges because I was simply convinced I wouldn’t get in).

I have definitely made improvements over the years. The person who I was as a high school senior is nowhere close to who I am now (and I am so glad for that). However, I struggle with leaving the past behind. I am disappointed with the choices I made, which I realize were driven by emotion. I believe that there is always a positive lesson to learn from negative situations, but it bothers me that it took a negative situation to learn the lesson in the first place. I am often hyper focused on wondering why I made the choices I did (before I made the improvements that got me to where I am). I even feel regret and anxiety about feeling regret and anxiety.

Please do let me know if there is anything I can clarify. Hope you’re having a great day!

Thanks,

Kareem