Struggle-Writers Anonymous: Session 1
At the weekly SWA meeting:
Hey guys, my name is Oluwasanmi and I’m a struggle-writer (Other struggle-writers: Hi Sanmi). I’ve always enjoyed writing, but I’ve been reluctant to share much of my scribblings because I didn’t think they were particularly interesting. See, I’ve got a bit of a perfectionist streak (which often manifests itself as procrastination). Plus, who’d want to read what I’ve got to say anyway; people have better things to do. However, I now feel confident enough to not give a damn how my writing is perceived. Nah, that’s a blatant lie- of course I’d prefer that people like it, who wouldn’t? But I’m not losing any sleep either way.
A little more about me then- I’ll just get this bit out the way first- I live with bipolar disorder (which absolutely makes me a genius, by the way). I struggled for years without knowing about my illness until I experienced a very traumatic manic episode in 2015 which led to my diagnosis. Following that ordeal and thanks to the treatment and support I’ve since gotten, I can now recognize my symptoms and triggers better, and I’m coping just fine all things considered. I appreciate the fact that a lot of folks are now cognizant of mental health and it’s surrounding issues (at least on social media). All snark aside though, I do wish people would make more tangible efforts towards educating themselves about what I think is a problem that afflicts everyone, since as I like to say, we all exist on a mental health spectrum.
Moving on, I also have a day job as an ‘Administrative Specialist’ at a government agency, which is just as exciting as it sounds, i.e. not at all. It’s especially underwhelming when you are the possessor of a (very hard-earned) engineering degree. Anyway, it pays decent and sure as shit beats the alternative of being unemployed. In the meantime, I’m developing my writing skills with the hope of one day living out my true fantasy- to be like the great Hank Moody (struggle-writers whoop and applaud); cruising around in a sleek convertible, doing absolutely nothing while living off the proceeds from my best-selling magnum opus, and surrounded by the people I love. Minus the general debauchery. It’s a lofty goal to strive for, perhaps unattainable. But if you can’t envision it, you’ll never achieve it.
As far as interests, understanding mental health is very important to me, for obvious reasons. I consider myself a spiritual person, and I am quite fascinated by the relationship between spirituality and mental health. I believe that the two fields are quite interwoven, and I’ll be sharing my thoughts on this connection via this Medium (triple entendre alert!), in addition to talking about the two subjects in and of themselves. I am by no means an expert on either, but I do have some developing opinions, shaped by my personal experiences. I’m also quite passionate about sports (perhaps a tad too much so to be honest), and can claim a level of expertise on that front. So that’ll probably seep into my musings on occasion.
Well then guys, that’s me in a nutshell. I’m not sure how often I’ll be posting, or what additional issues I’ll be addressing apart from the stuff I already mentioned. But this venture is all about decluttering my mind, exercising a hobby and maybe starting a conversation with a larger audience about a few vexing thoughts, as opposed to my usual internal monologue. Plus, the Hank Moody odyssey has to start somewhere, doesn’t it? I’ll check in periodically with our support group to let you guys know how I’m getting along.
Thanks for listening and hope you enjoy reading.
