Finding My Inner Strength by Chelstina Rosera, SWC student

Art Therapy at SWC, Student & Alumni Stories, Featured

Finding My Inner Strength, March 2121

Inner strength is this magical power we all have yet often forget it’s there. When you tap into it you can achieve great things. When I think of times in the past when I had to be strong, I envision instinctual animalistic power. I don’t think about what I must do, I just do it because it must be done.

For example, my father came to visit me during winter break. We were watching a movie in my living room and suddenly, my dad gets up and walked into the kitchen. My partner and I heard a loud thud and ran over to see what happened. My dad had passed out on the floor. He started to get up but then he passed out again. My partner caught him, and I called 911. I didn’t think about how nervous I was to call 911. I didn’t think about how normally phone calls with strangers makes my anxiety go sky high, I just did it. I called on my inner strength and I did what I had to do for the person I love. Thankfully he ended up being ok. He was dehydrated from coming from humid Minnesota to dry New Mexico. I draw on my inner strength when I call 911 but also to read all the readings for school and to write the papers. I call on my inner strength when I give a presentation in front of the class. In fact I call on my inner strength just to talk in class. Every day it helps me and holds my hand. It is there for me when I don’t think I can and it tells me, actually, you will. It helps pull me out of dark emotional holes I fall into. It helps me hang out with that friend for the first time. It guides me to move to Santa Fe, New Mexico and get my Master’s in Art Therapy and Counseling. It will always be there for me. It tells me to trust and teach myself, that we all have the capacity to heal ourselves from within because we all have the power and knowledge of the universe. We all have inner strength.

When I imagine what my inner strength would look like I think of the symbol of a fox and a lion. I am a fox goddess and a lioness. I am strong, I am smart, I am beautiful, I am a fighter, I am playful, I am me.