I strongly believe that with any illness, whether it be physical or mental, it is extremely important to have a support system and people you can talk to. That being said, it is often quite difficult for teens and adults with selective mutism to connect with others, not only because of their limited ability to communicate, but also because of a lack of understanding of this disorder.Though we live almost 3000 miles apart, Lizzie, who also has selective mutism and is from London, UK, and I have been messaging back and forth now for about 10 months. Today,though we have never seen each other face to face, we are so close that we consider ourselves more like sisters than friends. Our online friendship has not only significantly improved our qualities of life but it has also given us so much more determination and hope for the future. When Lizzie and I first started messaging each other, I had no idea that we would become such close friends. The most ironic part of our friendship is that we connected completely by chance. The night we connected, Lizzie was having a really hard time and posted something about it on a UK based support group for teens with selective mutism called Space Cafe 2. I, by chance, just happened to be online when she posted it and decided that I would muster up all the courage that I had and give her some words of encouragement. Looking back, I can remember asking myself what I, a 16 year old girl from New Brunswick, Canada, could do to support and encourage someone who was going through the same thing as me when I didn't even know how to help myself. Today, I can honestly say that this was the best decision I had ever made.
The coolest part about having an online friend with selective mutism is that we get to share parts of ourselves that other people may not necessarily get to see. In other words, we get to be just like everyone else for a while. Soon after I began messaging Lizzie, I quickly realized that she has the most insane sense of humor. I quite often find myself laughing hysterically when we are messaging each other, something that I had never experienced with anyone else before. She really knows how to brighten someones day, even when she may not be feeling good herself. Lizzie has this amazing quality about her that just draws you in and makes you feel safe. It was this quality that brought out my own personality and and made me feel that I could be myself with her. We both aspire for something that most young adults do not even think about: to be able to speak freely whenever we want to. We are in this journey together, providing each other with lots of support and encouragement along the way. Lizzie and I dream of someday meeting each other, but until then, we are happy to continue our journey of finding our voices through communicating online. If you are struggling, I would strongly encourage you to reach out to others who understand what you are going through. I know that this may seem scary at first, but trust me, it has made all the difference in my progress to this day. If you are a teenager or adult with selective mutism, I encourage you to join the UK based Facebook group SM Space Cafe. Don't worry if you cant join in at first. Just reading posts from other people going through the same things that you are going through will definitely make you feel less alone. If you are suffering from another disorder, there are likely similar support groups available to you.
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
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
Categories |