Could you tell me a time you felt vulnerable?

University, a time where for most it’s the first taste of freedom, independence and a hell of a lot of fun (as well as learning of course). For me this is exactly what it was, my first two years were great, I joined the rugby club team where I met some of my best friends and created some of my most favourite memories. I was just like any other “normal” student up until the start of my third year where I started to develop a few dry, red patches of skin which quickly turned into hundreds of dry red patches. I had no idea what psoriasis was or had ever had an issue with it before, but it turned into the bain of my life. After visiting a doctor and getting cream I asked one of my flatmates to help me put it on my back as I couldn’t reach. His response was “this is disgusting”. Although I didn’t show it/say anything at the time it broke me inside and I became so self-conscious. I was never a straight A student nor was I ever one for perfect attendance, but I completely gave up and stopped going to class in fear of what people might think. I wouldn’t have admitted it at the time, but I was definitely slightly depressed. I was barely leaving the house and self-medicating with weed, which only made things worse. My attendance was so low and grades were so bad that it actually resulted in me being kicked out of uni at the end of my third year. This was the lowest point of my life but as it turns out coming home was probably the best thing for me. After a long time, I gave myself a kick up the bum (as well as friends and family). I’d let these hundreds of red spots define who I was for so long and I could not be bothered with it anymore. I started to look at things more positively and simply not care about the psoriasis anymore. I got the right medication and my skin started to clear up and I became the best version of myself again. The point I’m trying to make is - don’t let anything or anyone define who you are. For so long I looked for my happiness in the wrong places. It doesn’t matter what other people think or what you think they might think, what matters is what you think of yourself. Life is way too short so just focus on being the best version of yourself and have fun during the process.