We All Have a Story, Christina: Rochester, NY Portrait Project

Christina is a special education teacher at State Road Elementary School. When I first met her in my studio, I thought she was a vibrant, positive, confident, young woman.  Little did I know that she suffers from anxiety and her desire to find out more about this project and possibly participate in it would have been cause for much stress in her life.  Not now though because Christina has gotten to a point where she has learned strategies and ways of coping that allow her to do things and go places, meet people and take on challenges that she wasn't able to before. Her excitement about the project and the desire to share her story fueled me to put much thought and effort into creating a visual that does her story justice. It took months of consideration and location scouting, but the resulting image is truly one I'm proud of on many levels.

In her words:

"Looking back on my senior year of high school, the panic attacks stand out the most. It took college and my early 20's to really get a handle on my anxiety. My greatest fault was hiding my struggles behind the stigma of mental illness. I was convinced that revealing my difficulties would deem me unstable and unreliable. I eventually realized the impact this attitude was having on my relationships. Not only was I neglecting to live a life true to my values, I wasn’t happy. When I finally sought help, I was mostly met with empathy and support. I then made a vow to do something uncomfortable every day. Little by little, I realized that 99% of what I worried about wasn’t happening. Since I’ve taken control of my happiness, I’ve rekindled compassionate connections with others and have had some pretty amazing experiences. I am now approaching my 30th year with a deeper sense of gratitude. I’ve embraced the idea that I’m always learning and consistently engage in joyful practices that nourish my soul. I have now made the conscious decision to not just keep my head above water, but to keep moving forward triumphantly."

Christina Posella

Teacher

State Road Elementary

If you're interested in finding out more about this project Click here and make sure to leave Christina your thoughts.