Sensitive Men Rising filming Wednesday in South Carolina with a mother’s story of loss, healing, and, ultimately, passionate advocacy for mental wellness, reducing suffering, and destigmatizing mental health. Susan Crooks is the founder of the grassroots non-profit Walt’s Waltz, named for her son Walt, who was tragically lost to suicide in 2019.
Susan’s story is powerful, emotional, and, ultimately speaks to all of us who are parents of highly sensitive boys. Special thanks to the film crew of Will Crooks and Will Keown!!
Anxiety has been ever-present in my life and seems to drive many of the people I have consulted with over the years, but one of the ways I have found that is useful to think about anxiety is as a sort of fuel to help us push through our fears.
As an example, even after years of giving interviews and podcasts, I still feel a moderate amount of anxiety leading up to the event. I’ve come to think of that as natural for me and useful in the sense of alerting me to focus on preparation. As the event draws near, the anxiety usually settles a bit, but I know from my own experiences, that if I can just get through the first few minutes, I’ll be off and running!
Thankfully, most interviewers are kind people and are good at helping speakers ease into the format of public speaking. Once past the initial anxieties, none of them based in any real deficiencies, I find that it is much easier to access my depth and breadth of experience to give a great interview.
For those of us who are low-key anxious people, it is good practice to think of our anxieties as a fuel to help us break through the walls of fear, of the unknown, or that result from perceived inadequacies earlier in our lives.
Yes, even high-functioning people experience anxiety. The key is how we choose to use that anxiety to either limit our growth or to enhance a growth mindset.
Dr. Tracy Cooper 