This day in 1861 the Civil War started, see the Faces of the Civil War. I guess this would be a good time to rent Lincoln.
Today also marks the 68th anniversary of FDR's death. Listen to his tear-jerking prayer on D-Day.
Pedestrians' footsteps getting turned into leaves.
I need to get this tag for my dogs.
This crayon art looks really cool (and easy!).
You are not Carrie Bradshaw.
What a great way to remember things.
Finally, a shirt made just for me.
With all this warm weather, I can't wait to start making my own frozen yogurt.
This week I re-read The Great Gatsby (I read it in high school but who actually read anything from high school? Probably everyone but me.) just in time for the movie coming out next month. Are you guys excited to see it? I have mixed feelings just based off of the trailer, but I think it will be interesting to watch, regardless. What do you guys think?
Hope you all have a great weekend!
Image via The Fancy
This crayon art looks really cool (and easy!).
You are not Carrie Bradshaw.
What a great way to remember things.
Finally, a shirt made just for me.
With all this warm weather, I can't wait to start making my own frozen yogurt.
This week I re-read The Great Gatsby (I read it in high school but who actually read anything from high school? Probably everyone but me.) just in time for the movie coming out next month. Are you guys excited to see it? I have mixed feelings just based off of the trailer, but I think it will be interesting to watch, regardless. What do you guys think?
Hope you all have a great weekend!
Image via The Fancy
Hi Emily, I randomly stumbled upon your blog a few months ago and I just wanted to tell you that I'm really inspired by you. As a twenty-something female that loves God, fashion, and literature... but also suffers from severe anxiety, I really connect with you. Sorry if it seems a little creepy of me to be leaving an anonymous comment, but as a result of my worsening anxiety, all social media had to go. Which leads to me to a question for you... How do you deal with your anxiety when it comes to school? I'm just finishing some excruciating years at community college finally (it took me way longer than it should have because of my anxiety) and I would like to transfer for a BA in English, but the thought of starting a new school creates major anxiety. I've looked for English degrees available online, thinking that might relieve some of the pressure, but it's difficult to find reputable ones. I was wondering if you have any advice or suggestions? Thank you for putting all you do out here on the Internet, and for your honesty in talking about your struggles.
ReplyDelete-Jen
Jen, I think we might be leading parallel lives. School has always been a major stressor for me. I was lucky that my community college offered online courses so I could complete the majority of my general ed that way instead of having to go to the campus. I just started to accept that I would never get a college degree. I would worry myself sick just thinking of having to transfer schools. After I started seeing a therapist she suggested that maybe I try taking a class on campus. Just one, and for it to be something that I would enjoy rather than dread, just to get used to going.
DeleteSo I enrolled in a film class. It was at night so the campus wasn't crowded which was nice. I remember that first night sitting in my car in the parking lot. I took a xanax and kept telling myself that I was going to be fine. I remembered my therapist telling me to try sitting in the first row closest to the door, that way if I felt like I needed to leave I could do it easily. So that's where I sat for the whole semester. I also took a xanax before every class but it kept my anxiety at bay. Looking back, I actually really enjoyed going to that class. Probably because it was more about just watching movies than having to really speak up or interact with others and I knew not every class was going to be like that.
I enrolled in two more on-campus classes the next semester. A 9am creative writing class and a 5pm history class. I remember waking up early and driving to school and thinking "I really don't want to do this" I got to the school and it was so crowded I could barely find anywhere to park. I found my class and sat through the whole introduction and then as soon as we were dismissed I went home telling myself that I had to find something else. There had to be something online, I couldn't do this twice a week. That day I went home, dropped my creative writing class and found an online school that offered a BA program for English and enrolled. (I ended up going back to campus that night for my history class and actually taking that class the entire semester. Granted, it was later in the day so the campus was almost empty and I ended up knowing someone in the class which made it more enjoyable to go.)
Sorry for rambling about my college experience, but I just want you to know that I know exactly what you're going through. Also, that I found a reputable online college that offered English degrees. I enrolled in Ashford University the day I went home from my creative writing class (which was Aug of 2011) and I'm going to be graduating from there in July. I've been really happy with my experience there. I like how their classes are set up where you take one course at a time for 5 weeks. It equals up to the same amount of courses you'd take a semester regularly, but it's less overwhelming. I enjoyed all of my English classes. Online classes are definitely not easier than traditional, which is what a lot of people think. I still had to write papers every week and turn in assignments, it's just I didn't have to drive to a campus to sit in a 2-hour lecture.
I still get a little embarrassed when people ask me where I go to school and I have to tell them I go online, only because I feel like they don't think online schools measure up to traditional schools. But then I have to tell myself that if it wasn't for online schools I would never have been able to attain a college degree. There are many reasons why people aren't able to attend class on a campus, but it's more about what you chose to get out of the class than where the class was. Of course I get sad that I'll never have that "college experience" but then again, so what. I did what I felt was best for me. I'd rather spend 2 years in an online school learning than 2 years sitting in a classroom not getting anything out of it because I'm too anxious to concentrate.
The bottom line is that you should do what you feel comfortable doing. Look into Ashford and see if it's something that may work for you. If you find a brick and mortar school that you like, then maybe try it out. You can always try the later classes when the campus is less crowded since that helped ease my anxiety. But just remember to sit near the door for a quick escape. :)
DeleteI hope this helps a little bit, if nothing more than just to know you're not the only one who has felt this way. And that you do have options on how to continue your education. Keep me updated on what you decide to do, and know you can always email me if you want to talk some more. Good luck, I'm sure everything will work out in the end!
Wow, thank you for your quick and friendly response. It helps so much to get advice from and talk to someone who understands. As loving and supportive as my family is, they still don't understand my struggles with anxiety. Whenever I open up to them about something that is causing me major distress, it's always "just do it, you'll be fine", or my mom will share a verse with me. Sometimes I almost feel like they think I'm just being dramatic. I know that they mean well, but I'm left feeling so alone in my struggles. I even went to see a therapist for a few months last year, and she basically said all the same things my family says and gave me a book called "Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway", which included some nice ideas and ways to have a different perspective, but still didn't help cure my debilitating anxiety in many situations. I felt like she didn't even understand.
ReplyDeleteLike you, I took the majority of my classes online at community college, and the ones that I couldn't I often dropped if there was too much interaction involved and would retake until I found one I felt semi-comfortable in. That's funny that your therapist suggested that you sit close to the door, I've always done that. I just knew that if I was ever going to be a couple minutes late, there's no way I was going to walk across the classroom in front of everyone, and I knew that if I wanted to leave early I could do it without really being noticed. I'm so excited that there's an option for receiving an English degree online now, otherwise I would probably give up on what I really want to pursue. It sucks to say that, but I would just see no other way. The amount of anxiety I endure sometimes, especially when it comes to school, is enough to literally make me sick and cause me suffer chronic migraines. So much of that is relieved with online classes. So thank you for sharing that information with me. I checked out the Ashford University website and it looks perfect. I really appreciate you taking the time to respond. And I just may end up emailing you sometime. Thank you again! :)
-Jen