{"id":1130,"date":"2012-08-17T08:00:38","date_gmt":"2012-08-17T12:00:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/njcts.org\/teens4ts\/?p=1130"},"modified":"2012-08-17T08:00:38","modified_gmt":"2012-08-17T12:00:38","slug":"college-week-gaining-the-support-of-my-ra","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/njcts.org\/teens4ts\/college-week-gaining-the-support-of-my-ra\/","title":{"rendered":"COLLEGE WEEK: Gaining the support of “Goldie,” my RA"},"content":{"rendered":"
Recently I decided to tell my RA about my OCD and Tourette Syndrome over Facebook. I decided to tell her before I move into my dorm and before college starts for a lot of\u00a0different\u00a0reasons:<\/p>\n
Here is the message I sent to my RA:<\/p>\n
Hi (RA Name here)!! I wanted to send you a message to give you a heads up about something. Feel free to let the other RA on our floor know about this, too.<\/p>\n
I wanted to let you know that I was given temporary access to my dorm and my dorm room because I have OCD, and I need to do some exposure therapy in the dorm before I start school. I wanted to let you know about this in case you see me in the dorm ahead of time so that you know what’s going on. I’m not very good at explaining on the spot, lol.<\/p>\n
I also wanted to give you another heads up since you’ll be living in the room right next to mine and since you’re one of my RAs. I have something called Tourette Syndrome (a neurological condition that comes alone with OCD). I don’t swear or have inappropriate outbursts (only 5 percent of people with Tourette have that symptom).<\/p>\n
For me, having Tourette means that I jerk my body, have other twitch-like movements and make sounds. When I get stressed, excited or sometimes for no real reason at all, my vocal tics (my noises) can get kind of loud. Right now, my vocal tics sound like high-pitched noises or like a yelping sound, but tics change all the time. They’re not always loud, because tics fluctuate between being bad and being not all that bad.<\/p>\n
I can’t really predict when my tics are going to be bad, but they may be bad for the first couple of weeks because of all the excitement and nerves. But at the same time, they could be pretty mild, I just don’t know. So I wanted you to know that if you hear noises coming from my room, I’m OK and I’m not making noises on purpose. Most of the time people get pretty used to it, and we usually joke about it or just ignore it because people who know me tend to be just so used to it.<\/p>\n
Anyway, thanks for putting up with this long message! If you have any questions, feel free to ask. It will make me feel better that you know about this ahead of time, because once again I am bad at explaining on the spot, and now telling you is one less thing I’ll have to worry about taking care of on the first day. :)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
And here is the message that she sent back to me:<\/p>\n
Hey! Thank you so much for the e-mail — it means a lot. When are you planning on checking your room? If you want, give me a call or text me (RA cell number here) the next time you come. If the other RA and I are free we will come introduce ourselves!<\/p>\n
Thank you so much for opening up about your OCD and Tourette. I am right next door if you need me for anything. The noise thing will not be an issue! Last year, I actually shared a vent with someone who enjoyed singing opera (it was very very loud), and I did just fine :)\u00a0Please feel free to come to the other RA or myself if you need anything. Again, I look forward to meeting you and if I can do anything to make your transition easier just let me know!\u00a0I can’t wait to see you!!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
I feel soooo much better!!! I feel less nervous\u00a0already. I feel like I have someone to go to now if anything goes wrong with my roommate situation and someone to be on my side no matter what happens. The adults (or in this case, the RAs) are the ones who set the model for everyone else to act.<\/p>\n
If my RAs are supportive and accepting of me and my tics, then the other students on the floor will\u00a0probably\u00a0model their behavior and be supportive and accepting as well. I feel like I’ve made a real step in the right direction with this, and I cannot express how good it feels to know that my RA will be there for me.<\/p>\n
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I think I will give her a nick name now for the blog…hmmm…I think i’ll go with Goldie because she has blonde hair, she is making my\u00a0experience\u00a0golden so far, and she is for sure\u00a0a person who follows the golden rule. And on top of all that, I saw a golden\u00a0retriever when I walked on campus today.<\/p>\n
So with that all said, thank you so much Goldie. You have just made me feel like a different person compared to how I felt yesterday. Your message was so reassuring, and it is one of my first real signs that everything next year will turn out to be just fine even if my tics overreact to the stress and excitement. I feel so lucky to have you as my RA next door. :)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Recently I decided to tell my RA about my OCD and Tourette Syndrome over Facebook. I decided to tell her before I move into my dorm and before college starts for a lot of\u00a0different\u00a0reasons: I got access to my dorm… Continue Reading