Month: November 2020

Uncategorized

Mental Health Month 2020 Wrap-Up and Feedback

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November 29, 2020

TL;DR: feedback form, event recordings, art exhibit, strengths for wellbeing, graduate mental health survey, mental health month masks, imposter syndrome survey

If you haven’t already, join the GSG Slack, an open forum with over 1200 graduate students. Also, follow us on Twitter!

What a November! Thank you enormously for any involvement you had in the Princeton Graduate Student Government’s 2020 Mental Health Awareness Month. 

Whether you attended some of the virtual events, visited our online art exhibit, interacted with anecdotes from Princeton students on the GSG Slack and Facebook pages, participated in any of our daily wellness challenges, or are just responding to this survey, we hope you’ll make a bit more space for mental well-being for yourself and for those around you. 

Although Mental Health Awareness Month is coming to a close, we hope you’ll continue to make your mental wellness a priority. We hope to see you at future mental health events throughout the year, and at next year’s Mental Health Awareness Month in November 2021!  

Here is our compiled list of Mental Health Resources both on and off Princeton campus. Attached to this email, you’ll also find information on virtual drop-in hours with TigerWell outreach counselor, Sue Kim, as well as the telehealth flier from the Center for Emotional Health, an off-campus center offering teletherapy as part of the Student Health Plan exclusive provider network for mental and behavioral health. Teletherapy appointments continue to be covered by SHP at 100% (no co-pay) through January 31, 2021. 

For more information about Mental Health Month, you can explore this sit. You can also contact us with any questions at graduatementalhealth@gmail.com.  

I. Feedback Form

Please let us know how you felt about the schedule of events over this past month, and if you have any suggestions for future improvement. We appreciate any feedback you have! You can access the google form to submit an anonymous response here.

II. Event Recordings

In case you missed some of the Mental Health Month events, you can watch a few of the recordings on our website.  Below is a list of events that were recorded: 

III. Art Exhibit

Our virtual art exhibition, Unique Minds: Creative Voices, will remain online through December. We invite you to visit the beautiful 3D virtual gallery here. You can read more about the exhibit on our website here.

IV. Strengths for Wellbeing | Friday, December 4th at 11am EST

Want to avoid burn-out? Join strengths coach, Lauren Scarlett for a session on how to discover your individual strengths to build self-awareness, resilience, and wellbeing. You will complete the Cappfinity Strengths Assessment and receive a free Strengths Profile Report. There will be an interactive group discussion on Friday, December 4th 11am-12:15pm. GradFUTURES is sponsoring this event as part of Mental Health Awareness Month. Register here. 

 V. Graduate Mental Health Survey

Check your email for a message about a 15-minute survey on Graduate Student Mental Health (subject: Longitudinal Research on Graduate Student Stressors). This is part of a project run by Princeton graduate students through the Graduate Mental Health Initiative. The goal of the survey is to better understand graduate student mental health at Princeton, especially in response to new coronavirus stressors, in order to design better targeted mental health interventions. 

VI. Mental Health Month Masks

Didn’t get your Mental Health Month facemask yet? You can still pick up a mask at the Caldwell Fieldhouse testing clinic. Get your mask the next time you pick-up testing kits! Supply is limited, so we encourage you to pick up your mask as soon as possible before they run out. We ask that you only take one mask per person. (Note that all masks have already been claimed from the residential pick-up locations at the Graduate College, Lakeside and Lawrence apartments). 

VII. Imposter Syndrome Survey 

The Graduate Peer Coaching Program (McGraw Center for Teaching and Learning) has put together a survey related to imposter syndrome. GPCP is a group of graduate students interested in bringing together other graduate students to talk about issues of belonging, isolation, and imposter syndrome, among other topics. If any of this resonates with you, please fill out the survey here and add your email to participate in future events and workshops. 

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GSG’s ongoing mental health resources & quick links: 

  • Mental Health Resources page
  • Mental Health Month event recordings, including the Keynote
  • Visit our online Mental Health art exhibit, Unique Minds: Creative Voices, here. 
  • Join our interactive Mental Health post-it board on Miro. Add a virtual “sticky-note” to share your thoughts with other grad students on a variety of topics.
  • Listen to our collaborative Mental Health playlist on Spotify–add your favorite mental health related song to our playlist!
  • Although our weekly Friday coffee shop series has concluded, the virtual coffee shop on Gathertown will remain open. Please feel free to use this space any time for casual meet-ups and virtual coffee chats with other graduate students!
  • Throughout Mental Health Month, we posted mental health anecdotes submitted anonymously by graduate students addressing their mental health in graduate school. These stories are shared on the #health-resources channel of our Slack page,  our website, and the Graduate Student Government Facebook Page to open up the conversation around shared experiences as graduate students at Princeton. We invite you to take a look at statements from other grad students on their experiences. You are not alone!
  • Check out our website to download the Wellness Challenge Bingo Board. Although we have reached the end of the November wellness challenge series, we challenge you to make your own plan for daily self-care over the next month!

For more information please email graduatementalhealth@gmail.com. Don’t forget to check out our website and following the Graduate Student Government Facebook Page! 

The GSG would like to thank our many campus partners and sponsors including Campus Conversations, the Women*s Center, The Graduate School, Campus Recreation, the LGBT Center, the Carl A. Fields Center, the Office of Religious Life, the Office of Disability Services, the AccessAbility Center, The Center for Career Development, the Davis International Center, The Office of Alumni Affairs, GradFUTURES, Letters to Strangers, the Princeton University Neurodiversity Collective, the McGraw Center for Teaching and Learning, TigerWell, and Counseling and Psychological Services.

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2020 Anecdotes, Alumni Anecdotes, Anecdotes

2020 Anecdote #13

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As one of earliest classes of women at Princeton, I learned resilience, mostly on my own. However, I must say, I was mostly happy while there. At the time I was there (1972-1976), I am sure there were mental health support resources available but I do not really remember if they were well advertised. Not sure that it was intentional, but like STDs–if you needed help, you would need to ask. I am sure if you went to McCosh, you could get help then. I am sure resources are better advertised and more readily available now and that students (and I hope faculty and staff) in  the Princeton community have greater comfort in asking for help. Lots of good things have happened in time such as better communication (to include social media) and information more readily available (web, etc). My advice:  don’t hesitate to ask for help!

Uncategorized

Week 4 Updates

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TL;DR: week four at a glance, panel on coping with covid anxiety, one-on-one mindfulness training, guided mindfulness meditation, mental health survey results report, manic monologues, mental health month masks, imposter syndrome survey

If you haven’t already, join the GSG Slack, an open forum with over 1200 graduate students. Also, follow us on Twitter!

It’s the 4th and final week of Mental Health Awareness Month! Although we are nearing the end of Mental Health Month, we still have several events coming up this week. Below are some highlights for Week 4 of Mental Health Month.  In case you missed some of the previous events, you can watch a few of the recordings.  

I. Week Four at a Glance

Here is the Week 4 event line-up. A PDF poster is attached containing clickable registration/Zoom links for every event this week! Please sign up and join us!

week4Download

II. Panel Discussion on Coping with COVID-19 Anxiety | TOMORROW, Monday, November 23rd at 10am EST

Join us for an interactive panel discussion TOMORROW, Monday, 11/23 at 10am EST on how we are coping with our COVID-19 related anxiety. Register here. The discussion will be moderated by Dr. Laura Murray, McGraw Center for Teaching and Learning.

Panelists: 

  • Cameron Stout, securities litigator and mental health advocate
  • Dr. Kani Ilangovan, Psychiatrist
  • Dr. Joe Cooper, Psychologist
  • Dr. Jonathan Pastor, Associate Director of Counseling and Psychological Services
  • Lauren Feldman, graduate student in Psychology

III. One-on-one Mindfulness Training | Monday, November 23rd at 6pm EST

Interested in learning how to incorporate more mindfulness into your life? Sign up for a 15-minute appointment tomorrow within the 6-7pm EST window on Monday, 11/23. During your 15-minute session, you’ll practice tools to implement into your life to help self-regulate and harmonize during stressful times. Email padelman@princeton.edu to make an appointment.

IV. Guided Mindfulness Meditation with David Campbell | Tuesday, November 24th at 12:15pm EST

Join CPS counselor Dr. David Campbell on Tuesday, 11/24 at 12:15pm EST for a guided mindfulness meditation session for stress reduction. Join via Zoom here: https://princeton.zoom.us/j/99176942418

 V. Graduate Mental Health Survey – 2019 Results Report | Tuesday, November 24th at 3pm EST

Check your email for a message about a 15-minute survey on Graduate Student Mental Health (subject: Longitudinal Research on Graduate Student Stressors). This is part of a project run by Princeton graduate students through the Graduate Mental Health Initiative. The goal of the survey is to better understand graduate student mental health at Princeton, especially in response to new coronavirus stressors, in order to design better targeted mental health interventions. Join us for a presentation on last year’s survey results by Abby Novick Hoskin, Department of Pyschology, on Tuesday, 11/24 at 3pm: https://princeton.zoom.us/j/3756770759

VI. The Manic Monologues | Call for Personal Short Stories by Tuesday, November 24th

McCarter Theatre’s The Manic Monologues, a virtual theater project directed by theater lecturer Elena Araoz, is designed to ignite conversation and disrupt stigma around mental illness. The project seeks confidential personal short-story submissions from Princeton undergrads and grad students about their experience with mental health struggles. Submit anonymously online by November 24, 2020. at 11:59pm EST. 

VII. Mental Health Month Facemasks

Didn’t get your Mental Health Month facemask yet? You can still pick up a mask at the Caldwell Fieldhouse testing clinic. Get your mask the next time you pick-up testing kits! Supply is limited, so we encourage you to pick up your mask as soon as possible before they run out. We ask that you only take one mask per person. (Note that all masks have already been claimed from the residential pick-up locations at the Graduate College, Lakeside and Lawrence apartments). 

VIII. Imposter Syndrome Survey 

The Graduate Peer Coaching Program (McGraw Center for Teaching and Learning) has put together a survey related to imposter syndrome. GPCP is a group of graduate students interested in bringing together other graduate students to talk about issues of belonging, isolation, and imposter syndrome, among other topics. If any of this resonates with you, please fill out the survey here and add your email to participate in future events and workshops. 

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GSG’s Mental Health Month ongoing resources: 

  • Mental Health Resources page
  • Mental Health Month event recordings, including the Keynote
  • Visit our online Mental Health art exhibit, Unique Minds: Creative Voices, here. 
  • Join our interactive Mental Health post-it board on Miro. Add a virtual “sticky-note” to share your thoughts with other grad students on a variety of topics.
  • Listen to our collaborative Mental Health playlist on Spotify–add your favorite mental health related song to our playlist!
  • Want to join Zoom meetings with a festive background? Attached to this email is a Mental Health Awareness Month Zoom background you can download and use! 
  • Although our weekly Friday coffee shop series has concluded, the virtual coffee shop on Gathertown will remain open. Please feel free to use this space any time for casual meet-ups and virtual coffee chats with other graduate students!

Stay tuned for daily posts on the #health-resources channel of our Slack page, including daily Wellness Challenges as part of our ongoing Mental Health Month Wellness Bingo game. You can download the Bingo Board from this email. We challenge you to see if you can get Bingo by the end of the month! 

We have also been posting mental health anecdotes submitted anonymously by graduate students addressing their mental health in graduate school. These stories are shared on the #health-resources channel of our Slack page,  our website, and the Graduate Student Government Facebook Page to open up the conversation around shared experiences as graduate students at Princeton. We invite you to take a look at statements from other grad students on their experiences. You are not alone!

For more information please email graduatementalhealth@gmail.com. Don’t forget to stay up to date on Mental Health Month by checking out our website and following the Graduate Student Government Facebook Page! 

The GSG would like to thank our many campus partners and sponsors including Campus Conversations, the Women*s Center, The Graduate School, Campus Recreation, the LGBT Center, the Carl A. Fields Center, the Office of Religious Life, the Office of Disability Services, the AccessAbility Center, The Center for Career Development, the Davis International Center, The Office of Alumni Affairs, GradFUTURES, Letters to Strangers, the Princeton University Neurodiversity Collective, the McGraw Center for Teaching and Learning, TigerWell, and Counseling and Psychological Services.

2020 Anecdotes, Anecdotes

2020 Anecdote #12

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”I have OCD, and my long standing symptoms have been strongly exacerbated by the pandemic. It’s more difficult now than ever to break out of patterns of obsessive, anxious thoughts. I’ve never really liked leaving my apartment even before the pandemic, but now it’s even harder to get myself to leave the safety of my home. I have regular nightmares about being outside when a crowd magically materializes and it is impossible to stay 6 feet apart from others. I’m worried that once the pandemic is over, it will be difficult for me to ‘re-emerge’ into society, as I’ve fallen back into my hermit-like comfort zone. I’m challenging myself to undertake exposures every day. Teletherapy has helped–my therapist will stay on the phone with me while I go outside to do an exposure like take out the trash. I know I’ll get through this, but it takes a lot of time, effort and self-compassion.”

2020 Anecdotes, Anecdotes

2020 Anecdote #11

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“The pandemic has resulted in significant changes to my body. As an unabashed femme, I find a lot of joy in things like fashion, makeup, and looking my best. While this may sound shallow, I would argue that traditionally feminine interests are often dismissed as trivial by society, but they are valid forms of expression and can be a positive aspect of identity. However, my ability to enjoy these interests has taken a hit during the pandemic. I gained 20 pounds in the past several months, and now a lot of my clothes don’t fit anymore. Unfortunately, this has negatively impacted my self image. I am trying to incorporate body positivity into my thinking. After all, my body is healthy and has kept me alive through a global pandemic! But I feel cut off from an aspect of my identity that has previously served as a source of joy in the midst of an often stressful graduate school experience. I don’t feel my best and I want to regain my previous level of physical fitness. I am working on starting a new healthy routine involving daily moderate exercise and regular balanced meals. I am also making a point to wear makeup and dress well for Zoom meetings, just to feel a bit more ‘put together’ and provide some sense of normalcy so that I can feel more like myself in these strange times.”

2020 Anecdotes, Anecdotes

2020 Anecdote #10

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I’m going to start off plain and clear, because this is the source of my mental health challenges. I have a terrible mood disorder. Anything less than 6 hours of sleep throws me off such that my mind literally cannot stop thinking even though I am exhausted, and I have depressive thoughts that could compel me to jump off a cliff (literally). At the same time, when I have slept, I have an inordinate amount of energy. I can coordinate plans with 20 people/groups at the same time, sit in front of my computer for 7 hours finishing a project, which my advisors sometimes find incredulous. I am tutoring and reading and cooking and running and keeping a meticulous home and spending quality time with my husband, and… not stopping.

By default, my brain decides it wants to live in extremes. This is not amenable to life. Needless to say, the mysterious, intangible qualities of quarantining just 10x all of my struggles. It sucked, and still sucks sometimes, but I don’t give up.

And neither does a village of support behind me, which truly, I am extremely blessed to have. They are the reason I am stable and whole as a person. I have an amazing therapist and psychiatrist, and I do additional talk therapy. For those who count the number of hours per week, my self care is a total of 2.5 hours/week, and 4.5-5.5 hours/week if I’m not too lazy to work out, with 6/7 hours of sleep every night. I used to say “I don’t have time for all this”, but when I objectively looked at the numbers, I realized that those 2-5.5 hours were the same as me mindlessly wasting my time. And those hours have, and continue to add immense value to my life.

Finally, I have friends, family, and in-laws who give me unwavering love and support. They, and my disciplined efforts, are the reason I find hope in myself and the situations I find myself in. I cannot tell you how much I wish every struggling person could have what I do. Please, look for and take advantage of the resources Princeton offers, because Princeton makes it more possible to create this network of support for you than most other places. I acknowledge that the resources I have are a privilege. And I am just too lucky to be as loved as I am. I hope you have that too. It’s actually not a mushy concept that love goes a long way.

I am stressed and so are you. But I’m not alone and neither are you. With the right kinds of support, and empathy, we can overcome our struggles one by one in the time it’ll take. Let’s remember that as individuals and a community, because…we got this!”

2020 Anecdotes, Anecdotes

2020 Anecdote #9

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“The pandemic has taken a significant toll on my mental health. I don’t think I am an alcoholic, but I am worried that I’m approaching dangerous territory with my pandemic-induced drinking habits. It seemed normal at first to have a glass of wine in the evening to decompress, but this has become a habit. I’ve been experiencing a lot of insomnia and am growing to depend on alcohol just to calm down my racing thoughts enough to fall asleep at night. I used to enjoy social drinking with my friends a lot, and I have always been a drinker. But now I use it more than ever before as a way to escape from the reality of my life. I’m routinely waking up with a hangover, feeling groggy and in a mental fog, which only compounds my anxiety surrounding my stunted research and my fears regarding bleak job prospects. It’s a difficult pattern to break out of, but I’m trying to replace alcohol with other self-care routines in the evenings including skin-care regimens, meditation, and calming herbal tea.”

2020 Anecdotes, Anecdotes

2020 Anecdote #8

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”I feel gaslit by everyone talking about how ‘passionate’ they are about their research, as if there is something wrong with me, and I am supposed to enjoy working 14 hours a day every day. For me, grad school has been a truly miserable experience. I’m tired of constantly having to put on a happy face for Zoom meetings and pretend that I enjoy the day-to-day drudgery and monotony of my lab work. I’m chronically sleep deprived, have no control over my own schedule, and am constantly pushing myself to my limits every day to meet expectations. But still it is never enough for my advisor. Dealing with daily unpleasant interactions with my group and navigating toxic lab culture and politics makes the experience even worse. But what’s truly infuriating is that others all seem to have ‘drank the Kool-Aid,’ waxing poetic about how dedicated they are to their research. I might be studying the most interesting topic ever, but it makes no difference when the day-to-day is such a mind numbing, miserable slog.

As children, we are taught that if we work hard, we will be ‘successful’ and our lives will be happier and easier since we’ll have better career prospects. Yet the rate of depression in graduate school suggests otherwise. In the midst of the global pandemic, economic downturn, and budget cuts, job prospects look grim both within and outside of academia. I’m afraid that I’ve wasted so much time being miserable in the present to invest in some imagined rosy future that may never materialize. If I’m not happy now, how can I expect to be happy in 5 years?

I think it’s unrealistic to expect to truly feel fulfilled and energized just from work alone. Fulfillment comes from multiple sources of which work is just one. For me, family is a much greater source of joy in my life. It irks me so much when people spout frustrating platitudes like ‘if you enjoy your job, you’ll never work a day in your life!’ All jobs have fulfilling aspects and unpleasant aspects, but at the end of the day I’d rather be on vacation enjoying the company of my loved ones. I hate that this makes me a ‘heretic’ within academia. Surely, others must feel like I do, so why are we all buying into the mass hysteria that is academic culture?”

Uncategorized

Week 3 Updates

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TL;DR: week three at a glance, PDAR, caring for the stressed out body and mind, work-life balance panel, supporting a friend when concerned about substance use, art workshop, navigating relationships, graduate mental health survey, imposter syndrome survey, manic monologues

If you haven’t already, join the GSG Slack, an open forum with over 1200 graduate students. Also, follow us on Twitter!

I. Week 3 Events

[gview height=1150px file=”https://mentalhealth.princeton.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/698/2020/11/week3.pdf”]

II. Princeton Distress Awareness & Response (PDAR) Training | TOMORROW, Monday, November 16th at noon EST

Become a PDAR partner! Princeton Distress Awareness and Response (PDAR) is an interactive session designed to educate participants on the signs and symptoms to watch out for in students and others who may be in distress and to arm participants with the tools needed to effectively respond. Join via Zoom on Monday, 11/6 at 12pm EST here: https://princeton.zoom.us/j/99353631784 

III. Caring for the Stressed-Out Body, Mind and Community | Tuesday, November 17th at 10am EST

Feeling a lot of stress these days? You’re not alone. Join other graduate students and CPS counselors Drs. David Campbell and Joe Cooper on Tuesday, 11/17 at 10am for a discussion about the effects of stress on our minds, bodies and connections to others, and ways to offer care to ourselves and others. We will offer strategies, including mindfulness and meditation practices, to discharge some of the noxious effects of stress, while talking about how to address the sources of stress from a place of feeling centered and supported. Register here. 

IV. Work-Life Balance in Graduate School | Tuesday, November 17th at 6:30pm EST

Join us on Tuesday, 11/17 at 6:30pm for panel discussion on fostering work-life balance in graduate school, especially in the midst of a global pandemic. Register here. 
Panelists:

  • Sarah Marie Bruno, graduate student in Physics
  • Brooke Hull, graduate student in Molecular Biology
  • Hilary Herbold, Ph.D., LCSW
  • Prof. Ned Wingreen, Physics
  • Prof. Mona Singh, Computer Science

V. Supporting a friend when you’re concerned about their substance use| Wednesday, November 18th at 2pm EST

Graduate students’ mental health has been affected by the pandemic. For some, this takes the form of pandemic-induced drinking habits and/or other substance use. Concerned about how you can support a friend? Join us for this workshop on offering support to peers. This event is led by UMatter as a follow up to Monday’s PDAR training. Join us on Wednesday, 11/18 at 2pm via Zoom here: https://princeton.zoom.us/j/92745198969

VI. Art Connects to Wellbeing: Interactive Art Workshop | Thursday, November 19th at 4:30pm EST

Join us on Thursday, 11/19 at 4:30pm for an interactive art workshop on Zoom led by interdisciplinary artist, Chanika Svetvilas. This workshop invites those impacted by mental health difference whether personally or by friends and family to create art that explores the experience of stigma and methods of support. Register here. 

VII. Navigating Relationships: Conflicts, Community Building and Communication in Graduate School | Friday, November 20th at 12pm EST

Please join Jess Joseph (she/they), from CPS and TigerWell, as they hold space for graduate students to discuss difficulties in community building, ahving conflict, and communicating during COVID-19. Jess will discuss strategies and skills aimed at helping students identify needs and boundaries as well as determine how/if to communicate those needs and boundaries to others. Jess will also discuss some possible ways to navigate socializing, intimacy and loneliness. Please email Jess to RSVP, and she’ll send you a Zoom link. Please also feel free to eemail if you have any questions: jj31@princeton.edu. This workshop is open to all graduate students. 

 VIII. Graduate Mental Health Survey

Check your email for a message about a 15 minute survey on Graduate Student Mental Health (subject: Longitudinal Research on Graduate Student Stressors). This is part of a project run by Princeton graduate students, including GSG Psychology representative, Abby Novick. The goal of the survey is to better understand graduate student mental health at Princeton, especially in response to new coronavirus stressors, in order to design better targeted mental health interventions. There will be a presentation on last year’s results on Tuesday, 11/24 at 3pm: https://princeton.zoom.us/j/3756770759

IX. Imposter Syndrome Survey 

The Graduate Peer Coaching Program (McGraw Center for Teaching and Learning) has put together a survey related to imposter syndrome. GPCP is a group of graduate students interested in bringing together other graduate students to talk about issues of belonging, isolation, and imposter syndrome, among other topics. If any of this resonates with you, please fill out the survey here and add your email to participate in future events and workshops. 

X. The Manic Monologues | Call for Personal Short Stories by 11/18

McCarter Theatre’s The Manic Monologues, a virtual theater project directed by Princeton University Professor Elena Araoz, and designed to ignite conversation and disrupt stigma around mental illness – is seeking confidential personal short-story submissions from Princeton undergraduate and graduate students, about your experience with mental health struggles. See the attached PDF for more information.

From the student submissions, we will select a few stories that will be incorporated into an existing set of monologues, to be performed by actors, as part of a unique virtual experience, released in February 2021.  Entries are submitted through an anonymous submission form.  

  • Stories should feel like they are being casually spoken aloud to someone since they will be performed by professional actors as off-the-cuff personal monologues; no “polished” essays or academic papers, please. Monologues should be 1-5 min max in length (when read aloud).
  • Stories can be about the struggle of facing mental illness or diagnosis, overcoming stigma, finding resilience, learning to live with mental illness, etc – there are no limitations to the type of content. We are especially interested in stories from students navigating through 2020’s complexities such as the COVID-19 pandemic, working inside activist movements such as Black Lives Matter, or concerns over immigration. 
  • Stories that are not chosen to be performed by actors, may still be featured in the project – in a dedicated “reading room” section of the interactive web experience, which chronicles written stories for audiences to access.
  • By submitting, you give the creators artistic freedom to modify the length and style as needed, for the purposes of filming and the virtual platform. 
  • To find out if your story is featured, go to www.mccarter.org as of December 1st, 2020 to find updates and information on the project launch date (February 2021.)

DEADLINE for Anonymous Submissions: November 18. 

Link to Submit: https://airtable.com/shrUBr5RRPEh9G0jc

Help us break down the stigma around mental illness by sharing your stories.  

If you are in need of mental health treatment, please contact CPS at 609-258-3141.

MORE INFO about THE MANIC MONOLOGUES Virtual Theater Project:  Project Overview

Questions about submissions, contact: earaoz@princeton.edu 

2020 Anecdotes, Anecdotes

2020 Anecdote #7

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”I recently learned about how autism manifests in girls differently than in boys, which leads to a lot of women with autism never getting diagnosed. This is because women are often more able to appear ‘high functioning’ due to increased ability to ‘mask’ symptoms. Reading about this felt like looking into a mirror. I don’t have a diagnosis, but it would certainly explain a lot about my experiences throughout my life. I strongly suspect that I am on the spectrum. I am so happy that Princeton has a new neurodiversity identity group, PUNC. I think there is still a lot of work to be done in higher ed to break down stigma against folks who identify as neurodiverse! ‘High functioning’ doesn’t mean we’re not suffering or that our condition doesn’t have a huge impact on our day-to-day life, even if it is not outwardly apparent.”