Dear Mr. Lowpoint,
I won’t go into the details between you and me because those are too personal and between us. For years I have thought about the pain and trauma you have caused, the dark thoughts you bring and the self harm you caused, having to begin therapy, and taking anti-anxiety, antidepressant medications, and insomnia medication, sleepless nights, hopeless night’s, calling suicide hotlines; but I do realize now that you weren’t all bad. Even though I felt more alone than I had ever before and had never been sadder, from you I grew as person, made new friends, found the career I want to go into, and had new experiences I never would have had.
I grew as a person because you pushed me out of my comfort zone, I felt like I had nothing and had to restart. I began to speak more, socialize instead of isolating myself, trying to change my thought processes, and be more positive and look at the world differently. From being so alone I made new friends with people who actually care about, and support me. They have given me new experiences (some legal and some illegal), and pushed me out of my comfort zone hiking in the woods at night and going to parties. With my new friends I can share my feelings with them and count on them, and because of these new friends I have learned new things and gained confidence to find other friends as well. Before you Mr. Lowpoint I thought I wanted to go into film and writing but I now think that is not really something I am passionate about but rather a hobby. Because of you I looked in with more self reflection and I want to learn everything I can about myself. I want to study Autism and why I am the way I am and how I can limit the problems I faced for others like me while still keeping an integral part of them intact. Due to this, I know I want to study psychology and biology and get a doctorate and teach as a professor and do my own studies. I can learn about myself while helping others.
Post traumatic growth is marked by spiritual changes, new possibilities, appreciation of life, relating to others, and personal strength. Due to you Mr. Lowpoint I did experience new possibilities, you altered my life direction and friendships and how I look at other people. I appreciate the moments with the people in my life now and I went through the hard times but am still alive and happier than before. So even though you truly sucked, and a part of me hates you; I am thankful for what you resulted in.
References
Finley, K. (2020). Positive psychology 2.0 & Meaning in Life [PowerPoint presentation]. Retrieved from Moodle.
andrews Christpherson's Happiness Blog 
Thank you for sharing so much about your struggle. I understand what it feels like to get so low that self-harm or suicide becomes a legitimate consideration or even action that you take. I was wondering, since you list several: What do you feel was the most rewarding change that came from this experience?
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For me personally I think the biggest benefit that came out of it was that making the new friends I have now. They have helped me grow in alot of different ways and try new things and I think they bring me the most joy as well. Therefore I would say that was the best thing overall.
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Awesome message man I am really happy for the strides you have made and the newfound happiness that has come into your life, it is truly inspiring. It’s really interesting to hear that you want to learn about autism and how to help kids with autism have an easier upbringing. Other than teaching, what are some things you hope to get involved with the help the youth, or anyone for that matter, struggling with autism?
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I think with children with autism the biggest thing I would want to help with is advocating for better awareness and treatment. Becuase so many young autistic people are non-verbal and struggle with communication even if they are very intelligent they can get pushed aside and mistreated at times. I think therefore that would be the biggest thing I would want to focus on and trying to maximize their happiness.
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Hi! Wow I loved how raw and genuine this blog post is. It really gave me goosebumps, I love that although you went through this hardship it allowed you to make new friends that genuinely care about you. I think you will be an amazing professor and be able to connect with every student! Where is your dream college to be a professor at?
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I don’t know if I actually have a dream college to work at. It’s something I have thought about but it is one of those things where you have the pros and cons of each school. Bigger schools of course provide more research options and funding to allow for scientific research but on the other hand the small schools allow you to be more of an individual and make connections. When I first started I think I was thinking about the big schools like a UCLA but being at Whittier and knowing two professors who went to Whittier and now teach at Whittier I do think that could be very cool as well since it’s a little like coming full circle.
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Andrew, this blog post was so raw! Thank you for sharing that because I know it isn’t easy to share raw emotions like this. I liked how, though you know Mr. Low Point did you some good, you didn’t pretend you liked him and said you hate them at times which just means there are still stuff to work out with them. My question based on your blog is do you think that, as a future professor, you will be able to use your experience with Mr. Low Point to connect with your future students?
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I definitely think it could help me to connect to future students. I know already I can relate to others who have gone through their own issues and others will share and open up to me. Being able to relate, empathize and listen without judgement I think can help others feel more comfortable and I think for any teacher or therapist or even friend it’s important to be able to do that.
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