Anxiety Unmasked

E is young, vibrant, incredibly intelligent, empathetic and a seasoned First Responder on two EMS Squads. E also is depressed, anxious, in recovery from an eating disorder, all too familiar with mental health institutions and has attempted to end her life. Twice. But, I would still trust her in a heartbeat with saving mine. She is also brave. Vulnerable. And insistent on sharing her story to save others. " I used to be open with my story & share on Facebook what was going on. But I felt a lot of shame and I felt like I shared too much. So I stopped sharing altogether. When I saw what you were doing, I realized I went through what I went through for a reason. I want to share my story with other people to show them that there is hope that you can go from being someone who is non-functioning in a treatment center for a year and a half to someone who still has their struggles but is happy & enjoying life."  Well, E, this platform was created specifically so pe...

There have been many moments along this journey of preparation for the blog launch where I have questioned whether starting a social media platform related to anxiety WHILE SUFFERING FROM anxiety really was the best choice. Staring at this blank screen 1 day before launch ( anxiety leads to procrastination...procrastination leads to anxiety & around we go ) is definitely one of those moments. But interviewing Lisa was not. It was a defining moment for me where I knew that working to share real people's real stories was a calling. My first memory of Lisa was of her CRYING 11 years ago when we first met. I think she tells the story differently and says that I was the one crying. Maybe she's right but, my blog? My version :-) In fact, our first encounter was of her interviewing  me . Over a decade later and the roles have been reversed. In 2008 Lisa was writing a news article on a major event I was directing for our college campus. The event was steeped in histo...

About a month after Kate Spade passed, I was sitting with my nephew coloring at the kitchen counter. This was at a particularly low time in my life where I was severely depressed & struggling with a significant loss. It’s hard to admit, but I didn’t want to live. I lost the zeal for life I once had because I lost hope & a sense of purpose when I had lost someone a few months prior. Somehow the topic of Kate Spade's death came up and someone said, "How did they miss that?" (referring to any "warning" signs) and I thought to myself - "I'm sitting right here. Hiding in plain sight and you don't see me." This got me thinking:  🔼 How easy it is to fool even those who live with you & who are closest to you  🔼 I didn't display any warning signs. Did people know I was "sad?" Sure but there was a lot more they didn't know because I didn't share it.  🔼 Those with the brightest smiles & loudest laugh...