I am a 15-year-old named Nathan Hernandez. I was born here in the United States, with my parents being Guatemalan and Peruvian. I grew up in California with my mother (born in Peru), my father (born in Guatemala), and my older brother. My parents had met up here in the United States around the early 2000s. My childhood was a mix of culture and experiences, and although we had a good life, things mainly broke apart. I never really heard any violence in the house, because I didn’t want to get involved even though I knew the situation wasn’t good. It wasn’t very long until my dad decided to leave the house which left me and my brother mainly staying with my mom, which later made us have to go from one house to another. 

Becoming a Family Lawyer had been a lost dream of mine ever since my parents had gotten separated when I was 5. The limited amount of time I had to spend with each of them and the conversations I overheard regarding court had fueled this career choice. What motivated me the most to learn about the topic of law was the fact that if I were a lawyer, I’d be able to provide families assistance with the same situation that occurred to me when I was little. I want to be the person who helps. 

Growing up with separated parents wasn’t as difficult as it seems to be, though this is coming from the child. Now that I am older, I realize that it was very difficult for my mom to have to raise us alone. With a father who didn’t support us at all, I and my brother had to help my mom with whatever it was she needed us to do. My mom went to court against my dad and left with more custody over us. Unfortunately, this still meant that I had to go to my father’s house per his request in court. Growing up with a liar makes a person lose their sense of trust and turns them into an overthinker. Living with my dad was a rollercoaster full of lies. The reason as to why my parents separated was because my dad cheated on my mom with my brother’s teacher. After hearing this I came to the conclusion that I won’t be able to believe a word that comes out of his mouth anymore, and I gained more respect for my mom and lost all for my dad.

 As an overthinker, it’s hard to get through the day, especially when socializing with many people. Many people tell “it’s easy to control, you just don’t have to think about it,”  though not thinking about the little things is a task that would be impossible for me to accomplish.  

These hardships had brought me down to my lowest points throughout the year, especially when I’m by myself with my own thoughts. Constantly thinking about everything has slowly deteriorated my mentality, since I spend too much time with my thoughts. 

However, it was proven that I work better when I’m by myself, as I’ve personally seen it through my writing. An example of this is when I compared two essays that I have written, one with a hard topic and the other with an easy topic. I worked on the essay with the hard topic on my own whereas I worked on the essay with the easy topic while sitting with my friends. Socializing is an escape from overthinking, which is why I prefer sitting with my friends. 

A way in which I’ve been coping with this bad habit is by listening to music, which increases my productivity exponentially. Having a background noise decreases my thinking process, as it only gives me two choices: the lyrics of the music or the task that I’m currently doing. Though occasionally I get distracted because of the music, I mostly work proficiently and get work done on time. As I grow older, I will experience new situations and new coping mechanisms to aid me with those problems.