Designated Doodler

Ageism is real and it doesn't just apply to the elderly. If I had a quarter for every time I was passed over or underestimated because I'm young...I'd have a lot of quarters. It doesn't matter that I'm in my mid-twenties, people still treat me like I'm fresh out of college and it's annoying. Ageism rears it's head in the workplace in a variety of ways that can range from your ideas being dismissed in meetings to being paid considerably less than the average employee. What many people fail to realize is that "the youngins" have a lot of advantages on their side. They are bright eyed, fresh, trained on the latest trends, malleable (not yet set in unmovable habits), creative and hard working. Perhaps that is why we (20-29 year olds) are pushed down by corporate America - because the higher-ups are threatened by us. After all, the young employees are the new blood who will take over some day. And in an effort to combat feelings of obsoleteness,...

I felt inspired to write this post today to help anyone out there who knows/is friends with/is a parent of someone with anxiety. I realized today that these things I know aren't just common sense. They've come from years of dealing with anxiety myself and knowing others who have as well. So here it goes. Things to keep in mind about anxiety: Anxiety isn't as easy to control as you might think I've had people ask me in the past "well, why don't you just stop being anxious." To me, that's like asking someone who has chronic migraines to stop having migraines. What's important is to realize that anxiety is very much a physical thing. It is a response that your body has, when once started, is difficult to control or stop. An anxious person may have a racing heartbeat, sweaty hands, dry mouth, or even shake. Once the body begins this descent into anxiety it's hard to turn around. And even if the anxiety isn't yet to that point or severi...