Reflective Essay

Military War during Mrs. Brown Life (Not Real Name)

Mrs. Brown vividly remembers February 26, 1993, World Trading Centre Bomb. According to Greenspan (2013), the bombing occurred after a rental van that was parked underneath the trading center exploded killing six people and leaving more than 1,000 injured. On this fateful day, Mrs. Brown was in World Trading Centre Bomb to visit her niece who was working in the building.

The terrible event occurred while she was still in the building. Mrs. Brown does not remember much about what happened because after the blast she collapsed. She woke up to find herself in a hospital bed having minor injuries. However, they were not just minor injuries to her because even after twenty-four years after the event, the memory is still fresh in her mind. She is still in fear that the event might occur again, a thing that has made her avoid entering the building again.

Famous Person in Military during the War Time

Mrs. Brown’s son is a military officer, and during that fateful day, he was in his daily chores. After waking up in the hospital, Mrs. Brown was surrounded by her family members expect her son. According to her, this was a big blow as all kind of evil thoughts were on her mind. Her family members tried to calm her, but it was hard. However, they assured her that the son was okay and in the evening a call from him calmed her nerves. After two days she saw her son without injuries, but from that day anytime she hears there are on duty due to attacks, she is always fearful.

My Personal Experience during 9/11 Attack

The 9/11 attack is still vivid in my life as it is in almost all American. Many people died, and others secured injuries. The picture of the pictures that were replayed on the Television is still vivid in my mind. Police were everywhere giving up their human rights for the security of the public. I watched as children buried their parents, relatives burying their loved ones and even the deaths of the military officers. However, this incident was educative to American in that they should unit. Similar to Mrs. Brown, the event was traumatizing, and every time I see New York Towers, everything flashes back like it is happening again. 

Reminiscing a Personal Challenge

I asked Mrs. Brown about a personal problem in her life. Before starting the session, I requested for her consent which she agreed to. The discussion started by providing a rapport before the discussion to make her relax. I started off with general questions about her life, like, her happiest moments, hobbies, the number of family members, pets, her first love, place of birth, where she went to school, special events, accomplishments, who changed her life most and the traditions she grew with. This was then followed by the question of the most difficult situation in her life. She was hesitant at first and when she started talking she broke into sobs.

I gave her a second of silent, stated it was okay to be emotional. She composed herself and stated the death of her husband as the most painful incident in her life. They were married for forty years, blessed with four children and five grandchildren. She remembers Mr. Brown as a loving, caring, kind and intelligent man. All her children were out of their homes, and the two were left alone to comfort each other.

Unfortunately, Mr. Brown became terminally sick and his pain was unbearable to her. She watched her husband suffering in pain and as she said, “waking every morning to the pain of my dear hubby was so disheartening.” Her husband soul rested in peace at seventy-two years. She remembers the day as if it was yesterday when she went to the hospital where the husband was admitted, and the doctor broke the news. After her husband was gone, life was not same again, and she wished she was dead too. Although her kids and grandchildren love her, she states that no one can ever replace the gap of Mr. Brown.

Lesson Learnt

After the session on reminiscing, I assisted Mrs. Brown on identifying the lesson she learned from the incidence. One of the lessons was that grief helps a person to remember and not forgets. Memories are a way of assisting an individual to come to term with the situation. For example, retelling the story makes it believable. The memories can help a person to put things in perspective by inclining oneself not to the situation and associated misery alone, but viewing life in another happier picture. The second lesson she learned was that relieving the memories of her past days will bring the darkness of her current days into light. She decided not to be remembering the tragic incident, but the happy moments she shared with her lovely husband. 

Significant Time in Mrs. Brown’s Life

The most significant time in Mrs. Brown’s life was the day she gave birth to her firstborns (twins-a boy and a gal). She explained to me that together with her husband., they had stayed for eight years praying and waiting for a baby. She recalls, “these eight years were the painful years of our lives, and we dedicated our time to doctor visits and praying was our daily norm. God is gracious that He blessed us with twins to wipe all the past eight years’ tears by replacing it with joy.” The day the doctor announced to them that she was expecting a child was an important day in her life. But most important of all was the day she held her two babies in her hands. She left her job entirely dedicating the time to the two new souls in her life. She explains that every time she sees the twins, she remembers their first day in this world.

The second significant time in her life was when she received an award in her occupation. The award was in honor of her good performance in the company she was working then. She had put all her efforts in her job and receiving the award, and a job promotion was a happy moment in her life.

Mrs. Brown Advice to Her Younger Self

Mrs. Brown had some advice to her younger self. One advice is living positively by seeing the positivity of every situation instead of concentrating on the darker days. Another advice to her younger self is taking care of herself by eating regularly; exercise and dressing to feel good. Thirdly she would advise her young self to trust in God as she lives each day at a time.

Mrs. Brown Letter to Her 25–Year Old Self

I assisted Mrs. Brown in writing a letter to herself at twenty-five years old. Mrs. Brown noted that one of the things that alarmed her was stress and she wished her 25-year old self would learn how to manage it. According to Klinic (2010), stress is the physical or emotional strain that is caused by an individual’s response to pressure from the outside world. Stress comes from any situation that makes a person anxious, angry or frustrated. I helped Mrs. Brown to identify types of stressors, signs, and symptoms of stress and ways of managing it.

Letter

It’s normal in life to be stressed. A small quantity of stress is good, as it motivates and helps one to be productive. However, too much of stress is harmful and disastrous to health. How one perceives a stress in a provoking event, and their reactions to it determine its effect on their health. A negative response to stress will affect a person’s happiness and health. It is thus important to understand ourselves and the way we react to stress-provoking situations to learn and understand ways of handling the stress efficiently. Life is not about learning ways to escape or avoid the turbulence and the pressure of modern living, but it is the development of skills that will penance our adjustments.

The internal sources of anxiety and stress include unrealistic expectations, fears, procrastinations, over scheduling, repetitive thought patterns, failing to be assertive, worrying about future events and others. The signs and symptoms of stress include moodiness, poor judgment, memory problems, irritability, anxious, depression, isolation, shallow breathing and sweating, eating less or more, procrastinating, using drugs and alcohol, sleeping too much or little, loss of sex drives and others.

It is important to use stress relieving techniques when stressed. These techniques include meditation, physical exercise, yoga, guided imagery, breathing techniques, self-massage and thought stopping techniques. It is also important to identify stress busters. They include adopting a pet, avoiding stress carrier people, taking a mindful walk, support network, regular exercise and prayer. Following these techniques will help one in growing and leading a healthy, happy life by living each day at a time.

My personal Strengths

One of my strength is empathy which suits well with my career choice. This aspect has helped me in getting along with patients, workmates and school mates. Through it, I shares another person’s feeling and emotions as my own by being in their shoes. The second strength is seeing the essence which helps me in getting to the heart of something quickly. It is like my instinct tells me what to follow and what to avoid. This character has helped me in understanding knowledge and following my passion. Lastly, I am strong minded due to my will and determination to change my opinions and beliefs. Through this strength, I improve my self-esteem and self-efficacy.

Significant Times in my Life

One moment that remains memorable in my life is my first day to attend to a patient. While growing, it was always a dream to help sick people and here I was in a healthy facility attending to a patient. I had prepared for the day psychologically, intellectually and physically. It was good to work along other health professionals and that day was a day of a dream comes true. The second significant time in my life is high school graduation. I was overwhelmed by the turn of events where I viewed myself as an adult and no longer as a child. I was happy as it was the first step to chase my dreams due to my good high school grades.

Bio-Psycho-Social Life

This letter is a dedication to my twenty-five years younger

According to Kanning and Schlicht (2008), the health and illness bio psychosocial model framework was developed by George L. Engel. This model states that the biological, psychosocial and social factors regulate the cause, indicators, and outcomes of diseases and wellness. Physical exercise is the important behavior for successful aging. The physical activity supports aging successfully in two ways: one, the subjective well-being (SWB) of an older person is enhanced by successful aging, and second, is its cognitive and physiological effects.

It is thus important to be physically active so as to increase SWB and also to live long without an assistant in later years. Being in good shape while old (cognitive and physiological) will help one to partake in leisure activities. Personal activities foster functional abilities like; advanced activities of daily living (e.g., volunteer and recreational activity), mobility (e.g., stair climbing, walking), daily living (e.g., eating, bathing, dressing), and instrumental activities of daily living (e.g., cooking, shopping, housework). Avoidance of stress is also essential in controlling biological, psychological and social pressures.

References

Greenspan, J. (2013). Remembering the 1993 World Trade Center Bombing. Retrieved from http://www.history.com/news/remembering-the-1993-world-trade-center-bombing

Kanning, M., & Schlicht, W. (2008). A bio-psycho-social model of successful aging as shown through the variable “physical activity”. European Review Of Aging And Physical Activity, 5(2), 79-87. Retrieved from http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11556-008-0035-4

Klinic,. (2010). Stress and Stress Management. Klinic Community Health Centre. Retrieved from http://hydesmith.com/de-stress/files/StressMgt.pdf