For my Passion blog, I will continue to do a fashion-based topic as it has always been something I enjoy writing about. The fashion world has so much content that can be covered and multiple lenses to look through when analyzing the specific subject I’m focused on for the blog entry.

For my civic issue blog, I was going to write about animal rights/cruelty. The most obvious harm caused by animal cruelty is the misery and suffering that the animal endures. Contrary to popular belief, bodily cruelty cases seldom have pleasant endings: the abuse is frequently horrifying, and the victims are rarely given a second chance at life or adopted by a good family. It is an issue that is looked over frequently today that needs to be further acknowledged. Animals are our friends, a way for us to survive, and most importantly, they are living things. Since animals are unable to defend themselves, it is crucial that we continue to make every effort to ensure that they have the lives they are entitled to.

“This I Believe” speech:

1. Introduction (conversion structure)

1. Attention-getter: Have you ever felt an itch that just refuses to go away? And you can’t scratch 

that itch because it’s just out of reach. Eventually, it does go away but imagine 

that same itch just constantly never-ending. That’s what anxiety is for me. 

1. Context/ethos:  I have dealt with anxiety since I could remember. It was just this thing I had to 

endure and wouldn’t last for long periods of time. It would never interfere with my ability to 

function, I was always able to handle all aspects of my life with it being in the back of my mind.

But, what I didn’t realize was how my anxiety was evolving into this greater negative impact on 

my mental health. 

1. “I believe” Statement/Thesis: I believe in not being afraid of mental illness.

1. I’ll be talking about how I was scared of my mental illness is a part of my identity and 

overcoming that fear through treatment and acceptance. 

1. Body

1. Initial Belief: My dad always would suggest that I should go on medication to help alleviate my symptoms because he also struggles with anxiety and benefits from taking medication. But I didn’t believe I needed to be on any medication and neither did my mom. My mom was always anti-medication and believes anxiety is something everyone just deals with, so I choose to listen to her because of how fearful I was of how the pills would affect me–living with anxiety became part of my identity and I thought medication would change me for the worse. 

[I would soon learn later in life that I should’ve received treatment sooner]

1. Revised Belief: I found it more difficult to deal with my senior year in high school. During college application season I had my first anxiety attack and the vicious cycle of tossing and turning every night began. I wasn’t getting any sleep and found it extremely tough to manage my schoolwork, sport, and social life. The nervousness and worry were just constant and nothing I could do would allow me to get rid of it. Eventually, my parents took me to my doctor who recommended I should be put on medication. I was scared, but I didn’t want to feel this way anymore. 

[In the end, I learned for the better how to take care of my mental health]

III.Conclusion

1. Taking anti-anxiety medication didn’t change me for the worse, it changed me for the better. I realized anxiety is not something that you grow out of, but instead something that grows with you and builds up as you encounter greater stress and challenges life throws your way as you age. That there are ways to help your mental health and should not be afraid of trying. 

1. I believe there’s no reason to be frightened of mental illness.

 I will always have to live with this itch it doesn’t just go away, but I can finally scratch that itch enough for me to live a happier and more functional lifestyle.

Work Cited:

Baker, Sandy. “Underlying Mental Illness: Root Cause of Addiction? – Victory.” Victory Addiction Recovery Center, 4 Dec. 2020, https://myvictorycenter.com/mental-illness-root-cause-addiction/.