Reflection – Storytelling 

 Challenge & Selection     The stigma on mental health resonates throughout our society . It usually leads to avoidant   behaviors from people with these illnesses and thus leads to feeling more isolated than others .   However , I believe that storytelling is a very helpful tool to aid in eradicating the stigma . I ’ve   dealt with anxiety and depression all my life . Throughout my treatment , I met many others that   were dealing with mental illnesses as well , from depression to an eating disorder to bipolar   disorder , etc . Once a day , we would gather together and we would go around the room discussing   what happened the day before and the thoughts and feelings he / she was having at the time . For   some people , it was difficult to open up , they felt embarrassed and that no one would understand   them . But over time , people would start to talk more and feel comfortable confiding in others , and   we were able to gain knowledge and realize that none of us were alone in this fight . We would   bounce ideas off each other to come up with some possible strategies to help treatment . All in all ,   being able to talk about what you ’re going through and having others willing to listen and provide   advice is essential when overcoming mental illnesses and can help those feel less isolated and   more supported .     Application     While the stigma on mental health usually pertains to those that are ill , it has an effect on those   who are n’t as well . I was trying to explain to my friends that isolation is a symptom of anxiety   and depression . I said to them that helping out those with mental health disorders requires   patience and a willingness to listen so that he / she can open up about his / her struggles . I told them   a story about one of my friends ( let ’s call her Susan ) who was going through anxiety and   depression herself . She had been sick for months and I had barely seen her before we decided to   meet at a Starbucks to talk . She said that before she had mental health issues , she was incredibly   social . She was very kind to others , never excluded people , and was always seen as the one who   would organize gatherings / events . Susan was right , she truly was a delight to be around . She   continued and said that she started to have horrible thoughts everyday . All of her worries   stemmed around a fear of dying too quickly and that at any moment it would happen . The   thoughts paralyzed her , she was too afraid to go outside her apartment , let alone get out of bed .   Her friends asked to hang out multiple times , but every time it would be the same answer . “ I   ca n’t . I ’m not feeling well , I ’m sorry . ” Her friends were hurt and felt neglected , so eventually   they stopped texting her . She said she never felt so lonely than at that moment and she did n’t   know what to do .     Insight and Approach     This was exactly what I was dealing with ! I quickly realized that other people were dealing with   very similar struggles to what I dealt with and still do today . I was not alone in this , and I felt   obligated to help out Susan . So I opened up about my mental health . I told her that there was a   time where I felt extremely lonely too . I began to believe that people did n’t like me and my   friends were just putting up a façade to make me feel better . I knew I needed help , but at the same   time , believed that I was a burden and did n’t deserve it . With a lot of treatment , I began to feel   better over time , and the healthier I became ; the more I came to realize how irrational it was to   think I was alone . There was so much support for me and there was a light at the end of the   tunnel . Susan needed to hear that . I told her to be patient and to keep fighting . There was a ton of   support for her and there would be a day where she would feel much better and be as social as she 

 was before . She left Starbucks feeling extremely hopeful and since then continues to get better   each and every day .      When I told this story to my friends , they seemed to have a much better understanding of the   mental health stigma . I ’m hopeful that if they know anyone that is struggling that they will   support him / her , be patient and allow him / her to talk through their issues .     At first , I thought storytelling was just my way of feeling better when I was feeling down , but   now I know that it can be an extremely useful tool to help end the stigma . If I ever run into   someone who ’s struggling with a mental illness or even someone who wants to get a better   understanding of the stigma and how we can eliminate it , I know I have the storytelling tool at my   disposal and can use it at any time . 


EMAIL: 
ID_NUM: 
NAME_STUDENT: 
PHONE_NUM: 
STREET_ADDRESS: 
URL_PERSONAL: 
USERNAME: 

### Task: You are a PII (Personal Identity Information) Detection. Given a essays written by students, you have to identify ONLY the following:
NAME_STUDENT - The full or partial name of a student that is not necessarily the author of the essay. This excludes instructors, authors, and other person names.
EMAIL - A student’s email address.
USERNAME - A student's username on any platform.
ID_NUM - A number or sequence of characters that could be used to identify a student, such as a student ID or a social security number.
PHONE_NUM - A phone number associated with a student.
URL_PERSONAL - A URL that might be used to identify a student.
STREET_ADDRESS - A full or partial street address that is associated with the student, such as their home address.
### Input: Reflection – Storytelling 

 Challenge & Selection     The stigma on mental health resonates throughout our society . It usually leads to avoidant   behaviors from people with these illnesses and thus leads to feeling more isolated than others .   However , I believe that storytelling is a very helpful tool to aid in eradicating the stigma . I ’ve   dealt with anxiety and depression all my life . Throughout my treatment , I met many others that   were dealing with mental illnesses as well , from depression to an eating disorder to bipolar   disorder , etc . Once a day , we would gather together and we would go around the room discussing   what happened the day before and the thoughts and feelings he / she was having at the time . For   some people , it was difficult to open up , they felt embarrassed and that no one would understand   them . But over time , people would start to talk more and feel comfortable confiding in others , and   we were able to gain knowledge and realize that none of us were alone in this fight . We would   bounce ideas off each other to come up with some possible strategies to help treatment . All in all ,   being able to talk about what you ’re going through and having others willing to listen and provide   advice is essential when overcoming mental illnesses and can help those feel less isolated and   more supported .     Application     While the stigma on mental health usually pertains to those that are ill , it has an effect on those   who are n’t as well . I was trying to explain to my friends that isolation is a symptom of anxiety   and depression . I said to them that helping out those with mental health disorders requires   patience and a willingness to listen so that he / she can open up about his / her struggles . I told them   a story about one of my friends ( let ’s call her Susan ) who was going through anxiety and   depression herself . She had been sick for months and I had barely seen her before we decided to   meet at a Starbucks to talk . She said that before she had mental health issues , she was incredibly   social . She was very kind to others , never excluded people , and was always seen as the one who   would organize gatherings / events . Susan was right , she truly was a delight to be around . She   continued and said that she started to have horrible thoughts everyday . All of her worries   stemmed around a fear of dying too quickly and that at any moment it would happen . The   thoughts paralyzed her , she was too afraid to go outside her apartment , let alone get out of bed .   Her friends asked to hang out multiple times , but every time it would be the same answer . “ I   ca n’t . I ’m not feeling well , I ’m sorry . ” Her friends were hurt and felt neglected , so eventually   they stopped texting her . She said she never felt so lonely than at that moment and she did n’t   know what to do .     Insight and Approach     This was exactly what I was dealing with ! I quickly realized that other people were dealing with   very similar struggles to what I dealt with and still do today . I was not alone in this , and I felt   obligated to help out Susan . So I opened up about my mental health . I told her that there was a   time where I felt extremely lonely too . I began to believe that people did n’t like me and my   friends were just putting up a façade to make me feel better . I knew I needed help , but at the same   time , believed that I was a burden and did n’t deserve it . With a lot of treatment , I began to feel   better over time , and the healthier I became ; the more I came to realize how irrational it was to   think I was alone . There was so much support for me and there was a light at the end of the   tunnel . Susan needed to hear that . I told her to be patient and to keep fighting . There was a ton of   support for her and there would be a day where she would feel much better and be as social as she 

 was before . She left Starbucks feeling extremely hopeful and since then continues to get better   each and every day .      When I told this story to my friends , they seemed to have a much better understanding of the   mental health stigma . I ’m hopeful that if they know anyone that is struggling that they will   support him / her , be patient and allow him / her to talk through their issues .     At first , I thought storytelling was just my way of feeling better when I was feeling down , but   now I know that it can be an extremely useful tool to help end the stigma . If I ever run into   someone who ’s struggling with a mental illness or even someone who wants to get a better   understanding of the stigma and how we can eliminate it , I know I have the storytelling tool at my   disposal and can use it at any time .
### Output: 