In life, it is impossible to avoid sad, depressing, or heartbreaking situations. We learned in class that your mood and mental state can depend heavily on the way in which we explain the events that have occurred. For example, when I was younger, I used to blame my low grades on myself. I used to think I did poorly on homework and tests because I was lazy and didn’t want to do the work to prepare for those things. I internalized my poor grades and told myself that I would always be that lazy. Because of this internal and stable explanatory style, I got to the point where I would not even get out of bed to face the day because I had convinced myself I was a lazy failure. However, in high school, I became involved in sports, which, of course, is not something a lazy person did. I stopped thinking of myself as lazy, and started doing better in school. I did well enough (obviously) to get into Penn State.

During my first semester of my freshmen year, I didn’t do as well as I would have hoped. My grades were low and my stress level was very high. I found myself starting to internalize and stabilize my poor school performance. Instead of letting it become a rampant issue, I remembered what I had done in high school, and became involved. I joined a few clubs and even the Penn State Boxing Team. While I’m no longer involved in those specific activities, I do not convince myself that I’ll always be lazy. Becoming involved changed my explanatory style and prevented me from spiraling into a low GPA and depression. Today I’m in my junior year with a great GPA and good job prospects. Even though I’m still a little lazy when it comes to chores and other household activities, it no longer takes a toll on my mental state.