TheWRITEaddiction.com

Identity is a powerful thing. It never truly stays the same as it evolves with age, experiences and life events. The way we see ourselves is in most part how we think we look like to others or who we are based on those around us.

Identity is a compounded social and psychological abstract. It has many facets, layers if you will, and like an onion peeling away those lays can cause some tears to be shed as you look at who you are compared who you thought you were.

For most of my life my identity was relatively simple; my social roles were of daughter, sister, granddaughter, friend. Inwardly I was a knowledge seeker, semi thrill seeker, and quiet chatterbox (contradictory but accurate). Over the years I added girlfriend, finance, and wife. None of these social roles really changed my mindset or the way I interacted with others until I added the role of mommy. Motherhood has affected the manner in which I see my academic self. It changed the manner in which I viewed and understood my physical self. Walking around pregnant changed the way people interacted with me. Giving up control of your body to a creature growing inside you is the ultimate control freak’s nightmare. But that was just the beginning of how my identity has changed. Recently I have been trying to negotiate the mommy me with the academic me. Like the quiet chatterbox contradiction I find myself at a pass between wanting to finish writing my dissertation and not wanting to do anything other than be with my son. Putting aside taking time for myself to do mundane household tasks to not wanting to get out of bed or the shower.

Identity; the mind’s social observation of the me and the we all wrapped up in the baggage of life.