Having Mental Illness…Can Be Good?

In this closing post for Mental Health Awareness Month, Kristen reflects on what she’s learned during a month of posts by people she knows. And in that time, she discovers that having mental illness isn’t always a bad thing.  Continue reading

About the Author

Kristen Abell is one of the two co-founders of The Committed Project and is our Executive Director of Awareness and Advocacy. Kristen blogs frequently about the issue of mental illness, especially her depression, and this month The Committed Project featured her story during Mental Health Awareness Month. She is extremely relieved that this microscopic look at her life is over. She’ll continue fighting the stigma around mental illness in higher education as long as she can.

Getting Out of a Hole

This post originally appeared on Tenure, She Wrote on June 7, 2016, and we received permission to cross-post it here.

by Acclimatrix

Last year sucked for me in an epic way. Health problems and personal losses, compounded by a long-distance spouse, made me realize just how tenuous pre-tenure life is. When your everyday status is “barely treading water,” there’s no leeway for life to throw curve balls*. I was already overcommitted and doing too much service. Then I hurt myself. My dad got cancer. I had a string of demoralizing events. I ended a couple of long-term close friendships that had become toxic over the years.

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Nutella and NOTs

by Joe Ginese

“Wow, great job finishing the race! How are your legs?”

“Hey, you look tired. You feeling okay?”

“How are you today?”

Raise your hand if you have ever had someone ask you one of those three questions.

Now raise your hand if your first instinct when asked those questions is to default to how you are physically feeling.

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