TEDx

A few days ago I did a crazy thing. I signed up for an audition slot for a TEDx talk at my alma matter, Carleton College. Have you heard of TED? If you haven't, you MUST because TED is amazing. There are TED talks on so many subjects, and they are so well done. My favorite is Jennifer 8. Lee Hunts for General Tso (a hilarious look at the history of American Chinese food). So what is TED and what is TEDx?
TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) ... is a global community dedicated to “ideas worth spreading” which inspires people from every discipline and culture to seek a deeper understanding of the world. ... TEDx was created in the spirit of TED's mission. ... The program is designed to give communities, organizations and individuals the opportunity to stimulate dialogue through TED-like experiences at the local level. 
Ok, so what does that mean for me? Well, I saw a post on facebook, clicked it, filled out a short form and now I'm going down to campus on a Saturday afternoon and give a 10 minute audition for a talk about anxiety disorders and panic attacks.

The irony will come when the whole thing gives me a panic attack.

But seriously, I was so, so, so touched by all the people who reached out to me (here, on Facebook  in email, even in person) about my blog posts Panic at the disco... of my mind, Crazy Goes to the Gym, and Enter the Thought Monkey. I've had friends, family, coworkers and complete strangers tell me bits and pieces of their own struggles with anxiety disorders and how they really appreciated hearing somebody talk about it so openly. So I guess I figured, why not keep talking? Why not take this topic to a new stage?

Over the next week or so I'll be collecting more stories, more thoughts, and hopefully the permission to use some of them to help me spread awareness of this difficult condition and the people who suffer silently with it every day. If you have a story to tell about your struggles with anxiety/ocd/panic attacks, please post a comment or send me a message. I'd love to hear your story too.

8 comments:

  1. Good luck to you! This is really great! Jennifer a.k.a Urban Gypsy Girl

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  2. Good Luck!!! You'll rock it. If you have a last minute panic attack, play it off as a demonstration :-)

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  3. I'm a TED addict. And I really admire you being willing to give this audition a shot.

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    1. thanks. I'll probably post a video next week and ask for feedback on what I'm going to say.

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  4. Hey Alison! I'm a fellow alum who also did an audition yesterday. I hope you had as much fun with it as I did! My talk would be about ecovillages. I'd love to see one on your topic though... hoping we meet on October 12 :) Ma'ikwe

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    1. Hi! Yes, it was a lot of fun. Do you know when we find out? Hope to see you in October!

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  5. Hey Alison! I'm a fellow alum who also did an audition yesterday. I hope you had as much fun with it as I did! My talk would be about ecovillages. I'd love to see one on your topic though... hoping we meet on October 12 :) Ma'ikwe

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