samanthaschutz-blog

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Hey everyone. It's taken me a bit of time to find the space and come back to YMMFLA. But I know that people need an outlet right now and it feels good to be of service. Click the link in the bio for how to submit. Looking forward to hearing from you and seeing the words and art you have to share as a way to stay connected.⁠ ⁠ SUBMIT YOUR ART AND WRITING TO THIS FEED USING THE LINK IN BIO.☝⁠ ⁠ Express yourself and what you are struggling with. Know that by sharing yourself, you will be making someone else feel less alone, too. ⁠ ⁠ #coronoaart #covidcreative #covidcreativechallenege #pandemicart #artheals #callforsubmissions #poetrysubmission #getpublished #creativewriting #poetryofinstagram #submityourart #submitart #poetrycommunity #ownvoices #artistsofinstagram #arttherapy #getcreative⁠ ⁠ #youmakemefeellessalone #youarenotalone ⁠ #mentalhealthawareness #mentalhealthrecovery #mentalheathadvocate #support #selfinjury #selfharm #anxiety #panicattack #depression ⁠ https://www.instagram.com/p/B_QaAHmgXNI/?igshid=1qxwz5ypn7ad3

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Join Samantha Schutz, author of I DON’T WANT TO BE CRAZY, as she talks to psychotherapist Adrienne Glasser for our By the Bookshelf Chat!

They talk about mental health, self care, and how to support your mental health not just during social isolation, but all the time. 

Mental Health Resources & Links:

The Office of Mental Health (OMH) Emotional Support Line: 1-844-863-9314

Samantha’s website includes an excerpt from I Don’t Want to Be Crazy, FAQs about mental health, and mental health book recommendations like this one from BookRiot.

Follow Samantha on Instagram: @sam-schutz

Follow Samantha on Tumblr: @samanthaschutz-blog

Adrienne’s website has info about Free and sliding scale support groups, meditation, and movement classes.

Follow Adrienne on Instagram: @adrienne.creative.healer

You Make Me Feel Less Alone is an initiative Sam started where people can submit writing and art about the things they are struggling with. Submit your work or just check out what other people have contributed. There are mental health resources, too.

Free guided meditation from Headspace

Link to FREE streaming audio book of Harry Potter book #1. This is what Samantha is listening to now.

Podcasts Recommendations (generally appropriate for ages 18+)

From Sam: This American Life, The Moth, Heavyweight, RadioLab, Dear Sugars, and Hidden Brain.

From Adrienne: Unlocking Us with Brene Brown, Where Should We Begin Esther Perel, Ten Percent Happier

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So proud and excited to share the reveal of a passion project I worked on with Lisa Yoskowitz and @chrisq5 for @littlebrownyoungreaders. Written by @jamiaawilson and illustrated by @krystalquiles. A lot of very talented women moved at light speed to make this inspiring book a reality. “This book is infused with joy and beauty....[AOC’s] are lessons to equip small readers with big ideas. Embrace the diverse American experience. Don't put limits on the dreams of young women. Celebrate the work that is being done.” Visit @romper for the reveal and to read the article. #Aoc #alexandriaocasiocortez #womenincongress (at United States Capitol) https://www.instagram.com/p/B0EedYvHRyl/?igshid=1oqx6ix5mjwyy

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View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Samantha Schutz (@sam_schutz)

What would I tell #MyYoungerSelf? 🤔 What would you say? Comment below ⬇️ or share your story at @youmakemefeellessalone. ⠀ I Don't Want To Be Crazy by @sam_schutz, on sale now. Link in bio.⠀ ⠀ #idontwanttobecrazy #youmakemefeellessalone⠀ #youarenotalone#mentalhealthawareness #advicetomyyoungerself #advicetomyself #mentalhealthrecovery #mentalheathadvocate #mentalillness #addictionrecovery #ocd #bpdawareness #eatingdisorderrecovery #support #selfinjury #selfharm #ownvoices⠀ #anxiety #panicattack #depression #recovery #listentoyourself #poetryofinstagram⠀ ⠀ (at Clinton Hill, Brooklyn) https://www.instagram.com/p/BzQKyZ2HtBG/?igshid=1pwr2rs3rtgtf

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🖤💛“Your book made me feel less alone”🖤💛⠀ ⠀ A magical thing happens when I open up about my experiences with anxiety to someone: the other person opens up, too. Suddenly that person is telling me private things about themselves, their spouse, friend, or child who has struggled with mental health issues. It’s as if that pain was sitting just below the surface of their skin waiting to break through. All they needed was to witness another person opening for them to burst. And with that bursting comes relief. Openness leads to connection.⠀ ⠀ “Your book made me feel less alone” is by far the most common phrase I’ve heard in the letters and comments I’ve received about my anxiety disorder memoir, I Don’t Want to Be Crazy. That phrase inspired Annica Lydenberg @dirtybandits to think about creating a mural that said You Are Not Alone as a way to offer support to our community. Well, if you know Annica, she doesn’t do anything half way. So after a lot of thought and a lot of planning, we launched the You Are Not Alone Murals series just in time for May Mental Health Awareness month. Three stunning debut murals can be found in Brooklyn by @dirtybandits, @adamfu & @dirtybandits, and @jasonnaylor. Each creator brought their unique vision and emotional reasons for participating in this project, and you can read their artist statement son our website. I am so touched by the time, effort, love, and care they put into their work. Same for @thebrothersbuoy who documented the process. THANK YOU! The murals remind viewers that no matter what challenges each of us is dealing with, our emotions are universal. No one is immune to anxiety, grief, anger, shame, and sadness. We are fundamentally connected through our humanity and, therefore, never alone.⠀ ⠀ 💛🖤💛🖤💛🖤💛 Photo 1, 2, 5: @dirtybandits⠀ Photo 3: @thecoolburns Photo 4: Jackson Cook⠀ ⠀ #youmakemefeellessalone #idontwanttobecrazy ⠀ #samanthaschutz #youarenotalonemurals #youarenotalone #mentalhealthawarenessmonth #Bkstreetart #nycstreetart #urbanculture #graffitiart #graffiti #streetart #streetartnyc ⠀ ⠀ #mentalhealthawareness #mentalhealthrecovery #suicideprevention #selfinjury #selfharm #anxiety #panicattack (at Brooklyn, New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/BxNa_UAnYzz/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1ksfhchxpybf1

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Writing to Live, Writing to Heal

Guest Post from Samantha Schutz, author of the memoir I DON’T WANT TO BE CRAZY.

I started keeping a journal in high school and took it everywhere, writing in it obsessively. It was practically another appendage.

Writing in my journal was an essential tool to help me navigate my present. As I filled book after book, I had a solemn sense of their importance. (They were so precious, in fact, that as a teen I wrote a “will” bequeathing them to a friend.)

But I never imagined how important the journals would become to my future, too.

Shortly after starting college, I began having panic attacks. I often felt nervous, not in control of my body, and convinced I was going to go crazy or die.

Years later, when my anxiety was under control, I found myself still behaving like I had frequent panic attacks. I had been through a trauma that my body and mind weren’t ready to let go of. I thought that if I could remind myself of how bad things were in college, I could convince myself how different—and how good—my life was now.

So I took out my journals and started reading.

I only had to read a few pages to see how bad things had been. The difference between “then” and “now” was stark. Cracking open those journals was a huge turning point for me, and it played a large role in deciding to write my memoir I Don’t Want to Be Crazy.

The journey to write that book began with the intention of healing myself, but as I typed page after page, I knew I Don’t Want to Be Crazy could provide comfort to others. I knew I wasn’t alone in these feelings.

I still have every journal I’ve ever written in.

Samantha Schutz is the author of I DON’T WANT TO BE CRAZY, a memoir in verse about her anxiety disorder.

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Submitted by Indiana Jamie⁣⠀ ⁣⠀ Note from the author: This is easiest way for me to describe suicidal thoughts, it’s like buying an expensive face cream, i want it so bad because i think it will fix everything i see wrong with myself, and with others around me.⁣⠀ ⁣⠀ Submit your writing and art to this feed using the link in bio. ☝🏼⁣⠀ ⁣⠀ Express yourself and what you are struggling with. Know that by sharing yourself, you will be making someone else feel less alone, too. ⁣⠀ ⁣⠀ #suicideawareness #shareyourstory #callforsubmissions #poetrysubmission #getpublished #creativewriting #poetry #poetryofinstagram #submityourart #submitart #poetrycommunity #ownvoices #artistsofinstagram #arttherapy #getcreative⁣⠀ ⁣⠀ #youmakemefeellessalone #youarenotalone ⁣⠀ #mentalhealthawareness #mentalhealthrecovery #mentalheathadvocate #mentalillness #addictionrecovery #ocd #bpdawareness #eatingdisorderrecovery #selfinjury #selfharm #anxiety #panicattack #depression ⁣⠀ (at Manhattan, New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bw10QdUgNd0/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1rctsvgrvm9kx

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www.Youmakemefeellessalone.com You Make Me Feel Less Alone is now a website (in addition to an insta account). There are lots of resources and other info available all in one place. Check it out and submit your work today! You Make Me Feel Less Alone is a community where you can see and be seen. It features submissions of original art and writing about the things people are struggling with. Your story is powerful. Your art and writing can help people. Share it. (at Clinton Hill, Brooklyn) https://www.instagram.com/p/BwzTPtMnxAp/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1e0e8rl1gefoj

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Submitted by Angélica Luan Sánchez Torres⁣⠀ ⁣⠀ Submit your writing and art to this feed using the link in bio. ☝🏼⁣⠀ ⁣⠀ Express yourself and what you are struggling with. Know that by sharing yourself, you will be making someone else feel less alone, too. ⁣⠀ ⁣⠀ #shareyourstory #callforsubmissions #poetrysubmission #getpublished #creativewriting #poetry #poetryofinstagram #submityourart #submitart #poetrycommunity #ownvoices #artistsofinstagram #arttherapy #getcreative⁣⠀ ⁣⠀ #youmakemefeellessalone #youarenotalone ⁣⠀ #mentalhealthawareness #mentalhealthrecovery #mentalheathadvocate #mentalillness #addictionrecovery #ocd #bpdawareness #eatingdisorderrecovery #support #selfinjury #selfharm #anxiety #panicattack #depression ⁣⠀ (at Downtown Brooklyn) https://www.instagram.com/p/BwRxebSABhH/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=vy20xv2nd8x3

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Submit your writing and art to this feed using the link in bio. ☝🏼⁣⠀ ⁣⠀ Express yourself and what you are struggling with. Know that by sharing yourself, you will be making someone else feel less alone, too. ⁣⠀ ⁣⠀ #shareyourstory #callforsubmissions #poetrysubmission #getpublished #creativewriting #poetry #poetryofinstagram #submityourart #submitart #poetrycommunity #ownvoices #artistsofinstagram #arttherapy #getcreative⁣⠀ ⁣⠀ #youmakemefeellessalone #youarenotalone ⁣⠀ #mentalhealthawareness #mentalhealthrecovery #mentalheathadvocate #mentalillness #addictionrecovery #ocd #bpdawareness #eatingdisorderrecovery #support #selfinjury #selfharm #anxiety #panicattack #depression ⁣⠀ (at Brooklyn Heights) https://www.instagram.com/p/BwPX-agA1KL/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=o8bzkxwebec7

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Submitted by @skillalicious⁣⠀ ⁣⠀ Submit your writing and art to this feed using the link in bio. ☝🏼⁣⠀ ⁣⠀ Express yourself and what you are struggling with. Know that by sharing yourself, you will be making someone else feel less alone, too. ⁣⠀ ⁣⠀ #shareyourstory #callforsubmissions #poetrysubmission #getpublished #creativewriting #poetry #poetryofinstagram #submityourart #submitart #poetrycommunity #ownvoices #artistsofinstagram #arttherapy #getcreative⁣⠀ ⁣⠀ #youmakemefeellessalone #youarenotalone ⁣⠀ #mentalhealthawareness #mentalhealthrecovery #mentalheathadvocate #mentalillness #addictionrecovery #ocd #bpdawareness #eatingdisorderrecovery #support #selfinjury #selfharm #anxiety #panicattack #depression ⁣⠀ (at Brooklyn Bridge) https://www.instagram.com/p/BwPQcxhgLGn/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=107fbgxqmgn18

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I Don’t Want to be Crazy Excerpt

A harrowing, remarkable poetry memoir about one girl’s struggle with anxiety disorder.

This is a true story of growing up, breaking down, and coming to grips with a psychological disorder. When Samantha Schutz first left home for college, she was excited by the possibilities – freedom from parents, freedom from a boyfriend who was reckless with her affections, freedom from the person she was supposed to be. At first, she reveled in the independence … but as pressures increased, she began to suffer anxiety attacks that would leave her mentally shaken and physically incapacitated. Thus began a hard road of discovery and coping, powerfully rendered in this poetry memoir.

Here is your special look at I DON’T WANT TO BE CRAZY:

I Don’t Want to Be Crazy Excerpt by I Read YA on Scribd

Order your copy:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound | Books-A-Million | iBooks | Google Play

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Samantha Schutz, You Are Not Here

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“I am not happy. I am not unhappy. I am frozen somewhere in the middle that is so much worse. I am nowhere. Nothing is happening and I am getting more and more sad.”

— Samantha Schutz

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✨ So many amazing authors stopped by today for one of our favorite events of the year: YApalooza! 📚😍💞

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A true story that will make anyone struggling with mental health feel less alone. Start reading I Don’t Want to be Crazy. 

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The road to coping with mental health isn’t taken alone. Start reading I Don’t Want to be Crazy by Samantha Schutz.