❤️ ~ Winter
Week 16: Winter Abernathy - 18 May 2022 [4:47pm]
*I will be talking about some mental health related topics(They will all be in a positive light but I know that less has triggered me before), please skip this if that is upsetting to you. In lieu of a response, write a comment that names something that you have learned or something about you that has changed in the past year.
It’s been swell, getting to know all of you, carpe diem <3
As this is the last blog post we will have before our senior year, I’d like to use it to reflect a little.
This past year has been one of major growth and change. Although they will always be a part of me, I will never be the person I was at the beginning of high school, they seem so far away from me now. I hope to make them proud, I hope to be the kind of person that younger me could have benefitted from. My perfectionism has alleviated greatly, my self-deprecation at an all-time low, my eating habits are far better, and I like myself, which is something I could have never said about myself a year ago.
I write in my favorite books because they are mine. I no longer feel the need to keep them “perfect”, ready to sell because I don’t want to, they are my books and I’ve never had something that was entirely mine before. I like myself, I like that I memorize and recite quotes, I like that I dry flowers for my room and press flowers just to keep them in my books, I like how I paint.
I have made incredible friends, I have lovely people around me who make me feel safe and sane. My friends entertain my fixations and watch movies that I love for no other reason than I love them. They invite me out, we make mood boards of our summer plans, and plan our college courses together. I have not had a group of friends who make me feel full as they do and it’s a marvelous feeling.
I am doing Ohlone Collections next year, college and freedom sound quite incredible to me. I cannot wait to see where the next year and the subsequent take me. I’m ready to live on my own terms, for myself, quite ready. Let’s have a wonderful life <3

Hey Winter! It’s great to see that your mental health has improved and that you’ve grown so much over the past year. I haven’t known you for too long, but I’m to have been around you for the time we shared together. Knowing your self worth is important and it's great to see that you’ve finally reached a safe space with yourself. Good luck for whatever’s ahead of you and I really hope you enjoy your time at Ohlone taking College Connections. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteHello Winter, hearing about your development as a person is genuinely uplifting. Around me all I hear are negative things about people, their future, their present, and their past mistakes. Hearing about someone who has genuinely worked on themselves, and gotten the gains in life to show for it is probably the most positive thing I have heard since the beginning of the quarter. On that note, time has already flown by and you will soon be leaving for your ohlone courses. I suppose this also tells us something about time itself. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteHi Winter! I'm really glad to hear about your development and growth. Self-love especially is so important, and it's really great to know that you are able to find fulfillment and happiness in yourself and your friends. This year has had its ups and downs, so reading your post and knowing that you were able to make positive changes toward yourself makes me feel inspired to reflect on myself as well. Good luck with the Ohlone Connections program!
ReplyDeleteWinter, this was such a nice and heartfelt post. It is great to see your growth and improvement this year. The way you were able to improve your self-deprecation, eating habits, and love yourself more is motivating and prompts me to reflect on how I have improved this year. I have definitely improved on organization and time management this year. At the beginning of the year, I had no motivation to complete work and waited till the last minute. Now, I am much more organized and on top of my work and try to utilize my time wisely. Thank you for allowing me to reflect on my growth during this year.
ReplyDeleteHi Winter, I'm so glad to hear that this year has been a good year for you. Most of the people I know have been affected negatively by the stresses of high school, damaging their physical and mental health. It's nice to finally hear someone have a positive turn in life as a change. I hope that you keep those friendships and continue your self-love, good luck at your Ohlone classes next year!
ReplyDeleteHi Winter! This past year has also been a year of significant change and growth for me. I learned so many new things that I did not know before not only in school, but in various aspects. I feel like after much reflection in the past year, I have a much better understanding of the world around me and what my future holds. I have a plan for what I want to do in the future and goals that I wish to accomplish. I have learned to be more accepting of uncontrollable things and actually learned to appreciate and look on the bright side of things. I definitely agree with what you said that I will never be the same person I was before this year in high school. Thank you for sharing your self reflection!
ReplyDeleteHey Winter, I’m really glad to hear about the development you went through this year. Your post was a very uplifting read and reminded me to not just keep focusing on the negatives this past year but to make sure to also recognize the growth I have gone through as well. We’ve all come so far this year and we should be proud of our accomplishments. Good luck with your Ohlone program and thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteHi Winter, I’m glad to hear that you have improved a lot on your mental health this year. I feel I myself have improved a lot on my mental health even though I have had my ups and downs throughout this school year. I have gained more self confidence and have gotten better at speaking to people which used to be extremely difficult for me. I hope in the following years life gets even better for all of us :)
ReplyDeleteHey Winter, I can definitely agree with you for how much these years have changed not just our external traits, but our internal selves. I have managed to master topics like physics and calculus that seemed impossible to comprehend a mere year ago. I remember trying to self-study calculus during my summer break last year and barely able to understand what in the world a limit is; and now, I can manage complicated manipulations of them with ease. This year has taught me a new level of time management, being able to balance both sports and academics while also maintaining a healthy level of mental health. This year definitely is and will be one of the most important in my life, and I cannot thank all those that have helped me get through it enough.
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