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Meet HJ
Managing a Stressful Situation
When MIT graduate student HJ discovered severe water damage in her new apartment, she was already struggling with increasing anxiety from recent hardships. Her landlord’s refusal to make the necessary repairs became a tipping point, leading HJ to question her resilience and competence. After researching housing rights, she eventually called an inspector who confirmed that the landlord needed to fix the water damage. The relief HJ felt from this validation led her to reframe her definition of resilience, acknowledging when she needs to take agency and seek solutions rather than enduring difficult situations.
I still think of myself as a pretty resilient person. But I'm renegotiating my relationship with that identity to give more room for [...] my own well-being.”
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