Committed to Super Powers

by Sarah Wilson Merriman

There is a fine line between efficiency and mania in my book. I want to think that all I do is efficient. The shakiness in my hands and feet tells me that it’s sometimes mania, though. My body literally cannot keep up with my brain. I spend my days exhausted and unable to sleep for longer than a few hours at a time. On the other end of the spectrum, I have been described as the melancholy to a colleague’s sunshine. It was said with kindness and truth, as I am often melancholy, but is this the image that I want projected of me?

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How I Found My Okay: Trusting Someone with Your Anxiety

by Sinclair Ceasar

You wake up. You don’t want to get out of bed because your thoughts won’t let you. Later you’ll want to explain this paralysis, but you’re ashamed of it, and you don’t quite understand it. You feel powerless. Your choices are to either start your day and face scary people and scary things, or to stay in bed forever. I hate waking up to this.

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Finding Beauty in the Distortion of My Mind

by Carly Masiroff

This one moment when you know you’re not a sad story. You are alive. And you stand up and see the lights on the buildings and everything that makes you wonder. – Perks of Being a Wallflower

I have always had an insatiable need to help others. When I saw a problem, I tried everything in my willpower to fix it, even if it ended up with unseen consequences. I needed to make others happy. I never knew why, I just knew I had to do it. To any ordinary person, even my closest friends and family, I seem to be tenaciously facing the world by day, while hiding a dark secret by night. Continue reading

Hey, I Wanna Get Better! – Mental Illness Looks Like Me

by Amy Corron

Being very type-A, hyper organized, and a striving perfectionist, it has been my lot in life to be a little more, and sometimes a lot more, stressed than those around me. The right set of environmental factors collided in college and I developed Generalized Anxiety and Panic Disorders. There were a few trauma and crisis moments and times I did not know how I was going to make it through. But after each breath came the next breath, and through counseling and learning more about myself I learned not only how to cope with anxiety, but also how to thrive. In an effort to stomp out stigma and share what mental illness looks like, I am sharing a video of photos of myself through the time span of my experience with anxiety. Mental illness looks like me – a person with a full life who tries to live positively and authenticity at work and at home with family and friends. Continue reading

Transitioning Through Anxiety

by Katie Ericson

This isn’t something I’ve talked about to many people, but I feel that it’s a story to be told. If there’s one other person out there that can maybe relate to this just a little, then it’s worth it.  It is because of the #SACommits community that I feel comfortable enough to become vulnerable in a way I haven’t before. I am inspired and moved by all of those who have shared stories, thoughts, resources, and encouragement to the community that is student affairs and higher education. And I am more than ready to stomp out the stigma. Continue reading

My _________ Is Showing: Anxiety in the Workplace

by Karyn Dyer

Being a graduate student in higher education while also working part time in higher education is often a blessing and a curse. I enjoy my program, and I appreciate the things that I have learned. One of the major criticisms I have about my program is the lack of discussion around mental health and how it affects professionals. But l am thankful for being offered the opportunity to work in a space that is close to where I ultimately want to be. Continue reading

Breaking Free of Stigma for Our Students’ Sake

by Lisa Latronica

From the time I was a small child, I was called a worrier and perfectionist by all the adults in my life. Teachers commented on how particular I was with my work, and my mom often told me to let small things go. I never really understood any of this, as it was a way of life. I didn’t know any different. Didn’t everyone feel like this? Continue reading

Feeling Anxiety Around Not Being Good Enough

by Tom Krieglstein

Comedian Louis CK does this bit about how NYC does an amazing job of putting you in your place no matter how good things are. Here’s a segment from his show…

If you woke up that morning feeling particularly good looking, don’t worry because on your way to work, you’ll pass a pack of supermodels at the top of their game. If you closed the biggest financial deal of your life, don’t worry because on the train you’ll overhear another person bragging about closing an even bigger deal.

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Please Be My Filter

by Sabina De Matteo

In September, a few months into a new relationship with a wonderful man that I have known for 9 years, I got mono. Except I didn’t know it was mono until late October. Sure something was wrong with me, and already prone to hypochondriac tendencies, I became incredibly anxious about what was going on with my body. I had crazy theories I won’t even share because they were so ridiculous. I couldn’t function at work (duh, I had mono).

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