Embrace your awkwardness and take chances

When I became sick at 21-years-old, my confidence took a nose-dive. As I began to recover, I regained my confidence slowly. Writing was the first medium I used to talk about mental health through social media and blogging. In work and other projects, I started to use public speaking to talk about my experiences and discuss mental illness and stigma. I felt calm and comfortable with writing and talking to individuals and groups face-to-face. However, I knew that I was missing out on some popular ways to connect and build a community. . . dun dun dun. . . vlogging and live streaming. No matter how comfortable I felt sharing my story or talking to large groups of people, I felt very intimidated if I was being filmed. When I get nervous, I trip over words, lose my train of thought, and become besties with the word "like." My perception of awkwardness was holding me back. When COVID-19 provided me with more free time than I could've imagined, I wondered if it was finally time to conquer my camera-shyness. 

I began posting videos, with a lot of mess-ups edited out, on my Facebook and Instagram pages. I wanted to remind people they are not alone if they are dealing with mental health issues during this time of social distancing and uncertainty. I wasn't surprised to hear that friends, family, and mutual friends were struggling too. I discovered that stumbling over a word was okay, and I didn't need to worry about perfection. 

Once I gained more confidence making videos, I felt ready to take it to the next level. I began live streaming on Twitch at OCDkoala (follow me, we have fun)! I started by playing Switch games to learn about streaming with a small audience. Then I began hosting a Sunday Night Reset on Twitch and Facebook each week where I talked about mental health and coping strategies with input and comments from people who tuned in. Each week, I'd chat while coloring or knitting. I've recruited some of my friends to do interviews about their mental health conditions, chronic illnesses, and coping strategies. I loved the connections I was making with the community.

In June, I saw that my favorite website, The Mighty, was looking to host virtual events. I took a chance and pitched my idea for them to host my Sunday Night Reset. I checked my phone every 3 minutes for the next 2 weeks until I received an email asking if I wanted to host a pilot episode on Monday July 6th called the Mental Health Reset! I screeched so loud that my neighbors were probably concerned. I had a blast and met the most inspiring people. My family and friends logged on to support me. Later that night, after celebratory ice cream, Ashley at The Mighty asked if I wanted to host the Mental Health Reset on a recurring basis. I jumped up and down with my cat for 5 minutes before saying YES!

On Sunday July 19th, I will be hosting the Mental Health Reset through The Mighty on a regular basis! I'm so grateful and excited. Please see the info below to register, and I can't thank you all enough for all the love and support I've received on my journey. Let's build mental health skills and community together :)


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sleep and mental health

There is overwhelming evidence that one’s mental health is directly related to their quantity and quality of sleep. For me, sleep has been a factor in maintaining my mental health, especially my anxiety. Before I developed a mental illness, sleep was not too high of a priority. As a college student, I could stay up until 3:00 working on an assignment then wake up at 7:00 to get to class. Between drinking caffeine and driving with radio on loud, I could go through my day as if I had gotten a full 8 hours of sleep. Although I don’t attribute developing a mental illness to my poor sleep habits, not paying enough attention to my health or listening to my body definitely contributed to the severity of my mental breakdown. If I had taken better care of myself during the semester, I don’t think my symptoms would have begun so abruptly. Throughout my battle with mental illness and my recovery, paying attention to my sleep has been essential. Getting too much or too little sleep during the ni
Read more

A fresh coat of paint and a fresh start

My family has lived in our old farm house for 13 years, since I was 10. Since then, I've had the same pink walls with a butterfly border and the same hot pink furniture. My bulletin board was filled with old pictures, and I still had all of the books I needed in college. A few days ago, I realized that I was finally feeling mentally strong enough to take on the project of transforming my bedroom. A big motivator for me was seeing my close friends moving into houses and apartments. I have accepted that I'm not ready to live on my own yet, but I was inspired to make a change. My bedroom can serve different purposes: a place for sleeping, an area I could relax and unwind, and somewhere I could use as an "office" for writing and corresponding. I could create a space where I would feel more independent, but I would also be able to have the support from my family. Once I began organizing and going through my old things, I realized how far I've come. When I was strug
Read more

Our holiday card project. Your voice can make a difference.

During the periods of my life when I have struggled the most with my mental illness, I've always had a strong and devoted support system who have been there to encourage me and remind me that I'm loved and that I will get through the difficult times. Not everyone dealing with mental illness has that same level of support, and the holiday season can make them feel more isolated. This year, The Cassie Cares Project (made up of me and my friends) wants to give the community and people online the chance to provide some much needed kindness to some people in Ulster County in NY who are battling mental illness. We will be making holiday cards with encouraging messages inside to distribute to the people involved with MHA of Ulster County. We want these messages to come from the community or anyone who has some kind words to share. This is a way you can directly brighten someone's holiday. Below are some starters you can use (as many as you choose) to share a nice message of an
Read more