both / and

•

both / and

When asked to describe myself or my personality, I often have difficulty finding the right words. Each statement that comes to my mind has a counterpart that is also true. This internal conflict caused frustration and confusion with my sense of stability in knowing myself and who I am.

In Dialectical Behavior Therapy, I learned that two seemingly opposite things could both be true and that acceptance and change can happen simultaneously. I became fascinated by this idea that I have opposing forces within me-that these contradicting parts of me exist together, equal to one another.

I am smart and clueless. I am selfless and selfish. I am open and closed. I am anxious and calm. I am sensitive and strong.

The list could keep going.

I am not either/or. I am both/and.

I am a collection of contradictions.