Hi, my name is Lindsay and I have been Deaf my whole life.  I am a social justice advocate at heart.  I love being Deaf - most of the time - and there are challenges.  Oppression is one of them.  When I experience oppression, it affects me in many ways negatively.  It makes my depression, anxiety and fear of abandonment skyrocket.  I lose my confidence and become discouraged.  Trauma is something that I have always experienced my entire life.  When trauma happens, my brain literally freezes to the point where it is hard to function.  The interesting thing is that I recently discovered all those thoughts and feelings I have always had.  I have found that talking about things as well as writing about my journey helps and truly is a freeing experience.  I recently learned something amazing in a writing series I did with Vera House.  I am unapologetically myself.  People have always told me to be myself and that I do not need to explain myself – and then – they question me for being the person I am and expect an explanation.  Those experiences have taught me that I am really good the way I am.  I will keep doing me, myself and I.  I am learning to love myself more than I did before.  I know that each and every human being that I have met throughout my life came into my life for a reason.  I would not be the person I am today if it was not for those experiences and for that, I am very grateful.  Finding the good in the bad brings a lot of peace to my mind, body and soul.