Please check with your instructor to determine their preference. Using the first person voice (e.g, I, me, my) is expected in personal reflective writing, but you might also use the first person voice in other types of essays when describing your personal experiences to avoid ambiguity. APA Style supports the use of the first person voice where it's appropriate (American Psychological Association, 2020, p. 120), but please follow the direction from your instructor. For more comprehensive information, please see the section on pronouns in the Parts of Speech guide.
If your instructor prefers that you not use the first person voice, try writing the sentence using the first person and then take out or change the necessary words or phrases. For example, "I think Canadians talk more about the weather than people living in areas with consistent climates because seasonal weather fluctuations influence our activities for most of the year" becomes "Canadians talk more about the weather than people living in areas with consistent climates because seasonal weather fluctuations influence Canadians' activities for most of the year".
Reference
American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1037/0000165-000
