Microsystem
My mom
My mom is apart of my microsystem because she has taught me my ways of life. Through growing up she has taught me to be friendly and always showing people respect. She has also taught me to speak up for myself and be verbal with my needs. Along with that, she has taught me to only rely on myself and to be the independent person I am today.
My Mom and Lucia
At first, my mom did not like Lucia, but after seeing what type of person Lucia is, my mom treats her like her adopted daughter. This relationship positively affects me because since my mom and Lucia are pretty close, I feel like I am able to bring her on vacations and talk about Lucia to my mom without feeling hesitant in what my mom will think or respond with. In the past I have resisted telling my mom things regarding my friends because my mom doesn't like them, but I don't have this fear regarding Lucia and my mom which I am beyond thankful for.
My Mom's job... AKA a CPA during tax season
During tax season, my mom works long hours, making for an early morning and late night. Because of this, during the months of january to march, my mom doesn't have much free time with us as she normally would. Along with this, my dad sometimes has uncontrollable hours, like if his surgeries go longer than expected. Since both my parents can't control their hours, sometimes I have to be way more independent during tax season than if my mom wasn't in tax season. For example, I might have to make dinner one night for my sisters and I or help Meghan with her homework when normally my mom or dad would.
Driving Laws
Driving laws in NYS make me more independent because now I don't have to worry about waiting for my mom or dad to come home to be able to drive me places. I can now make my own plans on my own time since I can drive on my own and have a car. However, these laws affected me when I was younger than 18 because there were rules about how many people could be in my car, who was in my car, and how late I could drive at night.
Going to Therapy
This is a change I started about 10 years ago and then returned to therapy last year. Since I started going to therapy again, I've been a lot friendlier than I was, more talkative to people, and have way more energy to be able to do things like I used to.
Meghan
My sister Meghan is apart of my ecological system because she makes living fun. She has taught me to be free with who I am and not to care what everyone thinks. When I am home, she is my best friend and coming next year she will be at Utica with me, making more memories than I could imagine with her.
Meghan and my Mom
Meghan and my mom have a complicated relationship. They tend to fight a lot, mostly because of Meghan and her attitude, but most of the time I feel put in the middle because they are both telling me what happened and complaining about each other. Sometimes I feel bad for one or the other when they fight, which makes me feel uncomfortable but in the end they figure things out and I love the relationship they have when they aren't fighting.
Moms Job Not During Tax Season
When my mom isn't in tax season, she has such a flexible schedule, allowing her to come to mine and Meghan's softball games, go on vacation, and ultimately make my mom's life and stress levels not as severe as during tax season.
Softball Creators and Rule-Makers
The creators of the softball game have made rules that I can't change, add or drop. The only thing I can do is play by the rules they created and adjust. Softball helps me continue to be social and friendly to officials, coaches, and other teams that we play. Softball also helps me with my energy levels, boosting them up, and continue to be verbal by speaking out during games to my teammates.
Changing Softball Teams
If I didn't change my softball teams I don't believe I would be at Utica. My coaches from my past team has shaped me to be a respectful, kind, and energetic player and person I am today. I don't believe I would be going to Utica right now unless I played for that team.
Lucia
Lucia affects me everyday whether that's boosting my self-confidence and my mood or talking me through some of my problems I have. Because of Lucia, I am a peacemaker in our house between her and our other roomate, or between her and our coaches/softball team, calming her down and explaining to her what can be done. She is extremely energetic and from that, I feed into her energy, creating my energetic self.
Lucia and Emma
Lucia and Emma are both my roommates, and they don't tend to get along. Normally Emma will come and talk bad about Lucia and Lucia will come to me about what Emma did or say to her. This tends to lead to some tension in the house which makes me feel uncomfortable. Knowing how both people are, I tend to go with Lucia because not only is she my best friend but because I know how she is and I know how Emma doesn't necessarily like Lucia and will over-exaggerate how things happened. Because they argue often, it affects me almost daily with how Emma will act and if I even want to go back to the house or not that day.
Lucia and Her Friends
Lucia will sometimes fight with friends, such as making sly comments or having an opinion on something a friend does that annoys her. While sometimes I agree with her opinions, othertimes I don't. Since she is afraid to speak up and sort things out with friends, she usually leaves it to me to be the bad person or the peacemaker in her life.
Weather
The weather is constantly changing and that is something I can't control. The weather can affect my mood, such as when there's sun then I am happier, and it also affects my schedule with softball. The weather helps me be a working, independent person because when it's gross and rainy outside, I want to be able to work on my homework, clean my room, or even give myself a break and be able to sit down and watch a movie.
Going to College
Going to college has helped me form friendships and has helped shape me and my personality. Since I've gone to college I've been a lot more talkative about how I feel and what I need from people. It has also helped my energy levels from experiencing different moments with my friends here, and has also made me extremely independent since I don't have my parents here to help me.
Abbi
Abbi is part of my system because she also impacts me day-to-day. Along with Lucia, I feed off her energy to make me extremely energetic, being free to do and say what I want to.
Abbi and Bailey
Abbi and Bailey are dating but they are also two of my best friends. In the past they have broken up and fought, leaving me in the middle having to pick a side. This adds a lot of stress to my life and even has me losing friends as a result.
Double Points... Meghan's Breakup
Recently Meghan and her boyfriend broke up, which doesn't directly affect me but I am still apart of it. I am the person she has to lean on and talk to when this happened, helping her to get happier, and help her get through this.
Daily Double... People's Personalities
I can't do anything or change anyone else's personality. While sometimes other people's personalities can negatively affect me, making me upset. I am very much a person that feeds off other people, so if other people are happy and energetic, it helps me be happy and more energetic.
Dad Losing Job During Quarantine
My dad lost his job during the Covid-19 pandemic. At first this was stressful for my family, but after some time he was able to do more stuff around my house for us, such as repair our ceiling when the toilets flooded. Soon after the quarantine ended he began working again, not in the same job, but similar. Since he got a new job, this has helped me get a job in the hospital, working similarly to him. My new job has helped me get my foot in the door with the hospital and made me become friendlier and more talkative to the doctors in the hospital.
Coach Olsen
Coach Olsen is part of my system because she runs practice so dependent on what she decides to do and act during practice also affects my mood. Coach also checks up on me and has me talk to her when I'm feeling down or upset and helps me come up with solutions to my problems. She is the sole reason I got the help I needed last year regarding my mental health. Coach Olsen expects us to be a friendly and respectful team, so because it is an expectation, she has also shaped me to be the friendly player and person I am. With softball you need to be verbal, so because she has us talking to much during practice and games, she has also helped me be more verbal and not afraid to speak loudly.
Coach Olsen and my Mom
Coach Olsen has a good relationship with my mom, which can impact me. When coach notices I'm off or she's worried about my mental health she has called my mom to check up with me, even though I'm at school. Coach will also talk to my mom about accountant questions and about my little sister, Meghan, who is coming to Utica next year. Not only this, but since coach isn't afraid to talk to my parents about me it makes me more comfortable to talk to my coach and comfortable about my relationship with coach who has a higher authority than I do.
Coach Olsen's Pregnancy
This affects me because coach is becoming very emotional with all her hormones and I feel the need to make sure she is okay and not stressed, especially during practices. This also makes me feel more independent during practice because since she can't do as much as she used to, the team has to do a lot more independently.
Birth Order
I am a middle child, which is something I have no control over. Being a middle child has 100% shaped me to be more independent because my parents were so worried about my older sister and my younger sister, leaving me to worry about myself.
Aunts Divorce
My aunt, a few years ago, got divorced to our uncle. This has led my family to help my Aunt a lot more with her kids when she needs help driving them to practice, getting them places, and more. This has made me feel more independent as I will pick them up for practice, drive them to their dads, and will even pick them up for a break from their dad.