Tag: anxiety

Sick Woman Theory

Sick Woman Theory by Johanna Hedva is an exploration of the intersection of illness, disability, and feminism. Hedva challenges traditional notions of productivity and success, advocating for a reevaluation of societal attitudes toward bodies that deviate from the norm. The theory delves into the experiences of sick and disabled individuals, highlighting the systemic issues they face, and calling for a more inclusive and compassionate understanding of chronic illness. Hedva’s work prompts a reconsideration of the value placed on health and challenges the ableist structures ingrained in society.

Specifically, Hedva provides a story of when they were unable to participate, in the streets, during the Black Lives Matter protests. Due to their many illnesses, including PTSD, anxiety, fibromyalgia, and endometriosis. Hedva describes chronic illness, writing, “I have chronic illness. For those who don’t know what chronic illness means: the word “chronic” comes from the Greek “chronos,” χρόνος, which means “time” (think of “chronology”). In certain contexts, it can mean “a lifetime.” So, a chronic illness is an illness that lasts a lifetime. In other words, it does not get better. There is no cure.” They explain the implications of chronic illness in times of resistance.

This source could be used in a course discussing disability and chronic illness, especially when focusing on intersectionality. It raises questions about who is allowed to participate in society, and how they are allowed to participate. Hedva affirms the experience of disabled bodies, advocating for resistance through rest. Courses interested in illness and politics, illness and relationships, and how disabled bodies can mobilize without moving would benefit from this reading.

Am I Too Old for This?

In this article, a 65 year old writer discusses her experience of publishing a debut novel amidst a youth obsessed industry saturated by social media trends and an increasingly online market. DeBare shares her thoughts on the recent skyrocketing of the term “debut” to describe novels, and how it has different implications for someone at the beginning of their career vs someone retired. She grapples with imposter syndrome and looming mortality, and shares lessons she has learned from the blindly hopeful dreams of her youth clashing with sobering reality. Finally, she offers an inspiring, accessible vision of writers that breaks free of the glamorized 30 Under 30 stereotype. This article would be useful as discussion material in a creative writing class, particularly for older adults. Outside of its specificity to novelists, this could be helpful in a sociologically focused class or any class that deals with public perceptions of age and ageism. It could be used as part of a larger unit on the way aging is viewed in a variety of professions. It might even be helpful for premed students who are looking to work in fields where they will have primarily older patients to gain empathy and understanding of the different life paths of their patients.

While teaching a fitness class, she had a massive heart attack

This is a news story recounting the experience of Ratona Harr, a 44 year old woman who had a heart attack in the midst of teaching a fitness class. It follows her from when symptoms first began, to when she called 911, to the hospital, to recovery. Including quotes from both Harr and her doctors as well as pictures of Harr and the tattoos she got after the incident, the article gives a personal account of what it is like to suffer a severe heart attack and then cope with recurring conditions over the next three years. It also describes the mental health struggles she faced after the fact, including her fears about going back to teaching. This would be a useful short reading material for med students to discuss the different ways that heart attacks present in men and women, as it describes a much more gradual onset of pain than we typically associate with the archetypal male heart attack. It could also be a helpful case study to integrate into a unit about what realistic long term recovery options may look like for a patient so they can sensitively inform them. While these lessons could be taught in other ways, this resource would be helpful because it gives the perspective of bystanders, healthcare providers, and the patient before, during, and after an emergency.

Testimonio personal sobre el Trastorno de Ansiedad Generalizada

An anonymous source discusses her experience as a young woman with anxiety. As a child, she began to have recurring thoughts of situations that had never occurred, e.g. fears of being late for class made her unable to sleep. Doctors assumed her only problem was insomnia, without probing for anxiety. Appropriate for upper intermediate classes or community groups to discuss taboo of admitting mental illness, describes various forms of anxiety and offers suggestions for alleviating symptoms.