finding her escape

By Jazmine H

Everyone has a passion, something that makes them feel alive, a reason to get up in the morning. For 17-year-old Princess Paat, it's working out and lifting weights.

Working out in general was always something that was in Paat’s life due to being in sports but in April of 2022, after struggling with mental health and just not loving herself in general, she realized working out was so much more for her.

“I fell in love with lifting and working out around April of 2022. I was in a really bad place mentally and physically. I just was not loving myself so I was like, okay, what am I gonna do? I’m going to get my ass up and just start lifting and better myself. It just became an everyday thing and I fell in love with it,” said Paat.

After finding her passion for weight lifting, it quickly helped her feel free and became her escape from the world.

She didn't just fall in love with lifting in general, she also fell in love with the community. Working out with friends is also something that made it just a little bit better.

Paat said, “Especially working out with friends, it can be so fun and chaotic at the same time. The community as well makes me feel safe. No one is there to judge and they will always help you if asked.”

Another person she likes working out with is Evan, a fellow Yerba Buena student she met in her freshman year.

After meeting Evan, they drifted apart but reconnected after two years of not talking when Evan asked her to get food.

“We met in freshman year. Actually, we were doing that Christmas party and Christmas dance for the talent show and I met him a day before. We were gonna perform and he asked me if he could borrow one of my pajamas since he didn't like [that] he didn't have one. I was like ‘yeah, go ahead’ and then I gave him my pajama set. After that we stopped talking but two years later, we reconnected. He asked me to get food and I was like ‘yeah, okay, I’ll get food with you’ and then after that it just happened,” said Paat.

After meeting Evan, her world was filled with color. She also felt she had someone she could talk to. He helped her see things differently.

“I guess there are no other words to describe how he's ‘changed’ me because that's not what it is. He's helped me see things differently and has helped me understand that life is worth all the hardships you've been through. Ever since I reconnected with Evan, life has had a lot of color,” said Paat.

Mental health is never something that is easy to deal with; finding people and hobbies that distract you from all the bad things in the world and help you feel free and alive can easily be what helps you get through it.

Finding anything to help bring a little bit of light and color to your life usually doesn't come easy. Sometimes you may think there is nothing to help you feel alive or distracted from the world but once these things are found, they are cherished and loved.