Its selective mutism awareness month! What are you doing to raise awareness? In this post, I am going to give you guys a quick life update as well as tell you guys how I am spreading more awareness this month! As many of you probably do not know, this year, I made the decision to switch schools for my final year of high school.The thought of going to another school in my city terrified me, because I knew that selective mutism would inevitably follow me. What I needed and was desperately looking for was a fresh start where no one knew about the past, selectively mute me. After thinking about the few options I had, I finally decided that I was going to attend a private boarding school located in a town 90 minutes from my house. Though this was a bold and scary decision to make, after lots of thought and contemplation, both my parents and I agreed that this would be the best option for me. Today, I can honestly say that this was the best decision I had ever made.
At my new school, I feel like I am a new person. Though I would still be described as being extremely quiet, I can speak whenever I want and I am doing things that I couldn't even picture myself doing a few months ago. First of all, I am living in a dorm with 52 other girls and an amazing roommate (shoutout to Molly). I'm eating with the other kids, doing group work, and making friends. I'm even planning on doing a chapel speech in front of the whole school at the end of the month about what my journey with selective mutism has taught me. One of the most exciting things that happened since my big move was that I was able to join the varsity girls field hockey team. Though I am a senior in high school, school sports are brand new to me as I was never able to participate in them at my old school. My experience so far on the field hockey team has been absolutely incredible. Thank you to Catherine, Liz, Kate, Charlotte, Tumini, Sydney, Shayna, Emma, Kyleigh, Ricarda, Zainab, Chang, Ran, Morgan L., Mira, Morgan W., Jess, Mr. Jenkins and Ms. Whitters for the amazing amount of support and encouragement that you provide me with every single day. You guys have made a huge impact on my life and who I am today! These past few weeks have been a struggle, but knowing that I have a field hockey game with these girls at the end of each day encourages me to keep my head up and push through. Being a part of a large sports team has taught me so much about resilience, teamwork, and leadership, and has enabled me to improve both physically and mentally. On Friday, during one of our practices, I decided that I would tell my teammates, who have had an enormous impact on my life, about selective mutism. Here were my exact words: Hi! I wanted to ask you guys a huge favor. For those of you who don’t know, 3 years ago, I was diagnosed with an extreme anxiety disorder called selective mutism. Selective mutism is a severe disorder that causes people to be physically unable to speak in certain social situations. This disorder has taken over most of my life, and it got to the point that last year, many of my teachers and classmates never got to hear my voice. RNS is a very positive and special place for me because I feel very comfortable here and I am, as a result, able to speak when I want to. That being said, because I haven’t spoken around others for a long time, it can sometimes be difficult for me to initiate or join in to conversations. October is selective mutism awareness month and I was thinking of different ways that I could raise awareness for this fairly unknown condition. Last year, my brother, who also has selective mutism, asked his hockey team to wrap their hockey sticks in blue tape in order to raise more awareness. I was thinking that, if you would like, you could wrap your field hockey stick in blue tape to help support me in my journey of raising more awareness and ultimately overcoming this disorder. I was hoping that anyone who participates could be in a group photo that I will post on my selective mutism blog. Thank you! The response I received was nothing but support, empathy and understanding, and I couldn't be any more grateful. Thank you to everyone at RNS for providing me with this truly life changing and unforgettable experience!
6 Comments
Jeremy Quiring
10/4/2015 07:10:10 pm
So happy for you and your brother for the support you have received! Keep it up and thanks for helping us assist and connect others who are also struggling with SM.
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DW
10/5/2015 02:35:59 am
"When a flower doesn't bloom in the environment in which it grows, you change the environment, not the flower".
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Denis Sheehan
10/5/2015 03:37:31 am
Congratulation Lauren on your new start at RNS. All the best in your school year and with your Field Hockey Team. Keep up the great work with this blog.
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Gloria Avery.
10/5/2015 10:32:34 am
So proud of you Lauren,for making this huge step in your life.it can't be anything but possitve when you have your whole family ,and school backing you.I'm sure you will be ok,and keep us posted on the blog.you are inspiring.
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Dawn S
10/5/2015 01:08:03 pm
I'm so happy to hear that you're doing so well at RNS! You're such an inspiration Lauren!
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France Knowlton
10/5/2015 06:29:28 pm
Lauren, what a great leader you are in your quest to raise awareness about Selective Mutism. Keep up the good work in helping other people who live with this terrifying anxiety disorder every day. You and your family are very special people!
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CategoriesAll About MeMy name is Lauren and I am 20 years old. I have an anxiety disorder called selective mutism that limits my ability to speak outside of my home. I believe that this disorder has touched me for a reason, and my life mission is to bring much needed awareness to this heartbreaking disorder. Welcome to my journey. Archives
January 2018
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