Anxiety Support Group
Anxiety is a physical condition marked by intense and persistent feelings of distress, fear, angst or dread. General anxiety caused by routine day-to-day stresses usually passes quickly and is experienced by almost everyone at one time or another. However, such feelings that linger over time and are very difficult to cope with, and which lack a clear cause, may indicate...
So currently I am putting together my application for college, and have been thinking about what to write about for my essay(s). Some of the prompts suggested writing about overcoming failure or a challenge, and the first thing that comes to mind for me with that prompt is my recovery from social anxiety disorder. My parents agreed this would be a good thing to write about so that I could show the colleges that I am very strong and have perserverance and determination.
However, while researching how to approach mental illness on college applications, it was almost uninamous that writing about mental illness in a college essay is a bad idea, whether it be because most high-schoolers cannot write well enough for a topic that serious/possibly negative, or because college admissions have been shown to have a bias againt those with mental illness (They worry that even those who have practicly gotten rid of it will still have or bring about problems on campus).
I understand the reasoning behind this stigma and I know I can't do anything about it, so I will try not to be upset and just find something else to write about. So now I have a question: In what types of situations is discussing mental illness a bad idea? I believe it is important to destigmatize the issue and be open to help others but now I am worrying about sharing too much or risking too much, like what I almost did with this essay.
Any advice is welcome. Thank you.
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I haven't written in my diary on my computer since May because I thought that my computer was dying. I got away from writing but my computer is hanging in there. I think that I will start writing in it again. It's so therapeutic.
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Years ago, I won a mirrored armoire from my job. It's in my bedroom but I rarely stand in front of it. Yesterday, I had to have a dexascan done so I had to change into a gown. There was a full length mirror in the changing room. I'm aware that I gained 5 to 7 pounds over the last year from cheating on Keto but I didn't know what it looked like. It was a reality check.
A pull which tugs my attention from your own words is, "Destigmatizing Issues." Mental illness is far from the only issue in the world in need of destigmatizing. Repeat, just a random brain fart. There are loads and loads of potential essay themes out there.
As for safety in discussing my mental illnesses, I put the emphasis on quantity. At no time do I keep my mental illnesses a secret. Plural intended. I have more than one mental illness. They are never a secret, but they are always psychotically complex and easily muddled. Even in the most compassionate of company, I reserve the right to both privacy and defensive measures. Those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.
I did that with my essay and it worked out great. Years later, it was brought up in an interview for a position.
I replaced words of identification with other words, and in doing so, found a way to approach the essay in a positive direction.
Using something like this as your base and then switching the words will give you a better idea of what you really want to share.
Keep your writing private and best wishes with this project!