Identity and Anxiety (aka: Life)

Being a part of queer circles and navigating the proverbial "self" through these situations has made me think a lot about "identity" and trying to fit in a community that is based on that "identity." Being queer and growing up queer, especially in places that are not well-equipped (to put it lightly) with queer folks, made it seem magical the first time I was around fellow queer folks.

Actually, that's a lie. I was probably very anxious and nervous.

REGARDLESS, I had expectations of magic friendships and problems being smoothed over. What I've learned in college is that magic is not real and that...identity politics don't work. In theory, people who are oppressed by the same systems should be mobilized to create an accepting and affirming community, but that's not how people work.

So where does that leave people? Where and how do you huddle together and comfort each other?

I've been thankful to have a very caring support network in my undergraduate years. Given that, I've still experienced alienation in college. Maybe that's just what college is. Maybe that's just what America is. Maybe that's just part of growing up. Whatever the reason for this alienation, a good portion of the alienation stemmed from (or at least appeared to stem from) being queer identified.  Along with this feeling of being disconnected and disengaged with people, were the all not too fun episodes of anxiety, depression and overall decreased mental health.

Despite these episodes, it's given me perspective as to how mental health works in myself, and also in the broader context of society and communities (mainly the queer community, because I'm all about learning about the queer community).

As my first post on queer mental health, I decided to start off (relatively) light. I didn't want to immerse too quickly in the all too real mental health challenges of the LGBT+ community. Rather, I wanted to set the tone for what will be coming up in the next few posts.