Hi Annas1,
Thank you so much for the warm welcome! Managing stressors has become difficult, especially because I've been thrown into the "deep end" of fieldwork (moving to a new country, doing research on my own). The nature of my research (mostly just interviewing people) requires me to be upfront and to ask for a lot of things and to sort of insert myself (with consent of course) into different social interactions that I would normally avoid as a quite introverted person. Since moving to Oz I have done my best to stay active, stay in touch with my friends and family back home, and check in frequently with my advisor to make sure that I am still on the right track.
I have struggled with disclosure myself. I am very open about it with close friends and family, and because I write about it academically I am forced to disclose a bit just for credibility and context. However, while I believe fighting stigma is important, I generally oppose the idea that this means full disclosure at all times to everyone as a political statement. Privacy is important, and it is totally reasonable to be concerned about how people will react to that information. Even if they take it well, it is still your prerogative to share or not share and not doing so does not make you less of an ally in the struggle of people with mental illness.
Of course, selective disclosure can make your life much easier and in general attitudes have shifted so much that talking about these things is more normal and accepted. For example I made sure to tell my academic advisors (and teachers when necessary) just so they know where I'm coming from personally and intellectually and to help explain any behaviors they may find a bit odd.
Would love to hear more about your work!
Cheers,
Gems
