#selective mutism awareness | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

raincamp · 4 months

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hate situational mutism bc people automatically assume that not talking = not present = doesn't want to interact but that couldnt be less true. im always listening to conversations and am present in the social interaction. i want nothing more than to interact and make friends. including me in the conversation without the expectation of me talking is helpful and i promise im not ignoring anyone or trying to exclude myself from the interaction. i want to be included just as much as everyone else.

#sm #selective mutism #situational mutism #selective mutism awareness #situational mutism go brrr #autism #nonverbal #tagging with the nv tag because i feel like its relatable for them too

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mitch4tune · 6 months

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Some Struggles I Had/Have With Selective Mutism & Recovery

I went about a year or so without hearing my physical voice around the pandemic because I usually think everything instead of speaking to myself, so I forgot what my actual voice sounded like.

Once I did begin working on speaking again, my voice was very low, meaning I had to strain my throat to talk.

I began by singing and speaking in VRChat, though my voice would sound like a child's because my vocal cords would tighten up due to anxiety.

Eventually, I got my voice to the range I felt suited me best (though I still have trouble controlling the squeaks and baritone sometimes) and now use that voiceー my voiceー to speak with friends and occasionally strangers, such as ordering food at restaurants.

It was never easy, but I have fond memories of my hard work and am proud of my continuing recovery.

#selective mutism #selective mutism awareness #situational mutism #social anxiety #social anxiety disorder

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sub-at-omicsteminist · 2 years

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Selective Mutism

Selective mutism is a severe anxiety disorder where a person is physically unable to speak in certain social situations. These situations include, but are not limited to, speaking to class mates and relatives that are not seen very often.

Below is a list of symptoms of selective mutism as so much more happens then just the mutism.

As someone who found out their “extreme shyness” and “behavioural issues” was actually selective mutism that was left untreated for so long. I feel obligated to share a list of symptoms and briefly say what it is as I had no idea what selective mutism was until my diagnosis, and there may be someone who finds this post who is going through the exact same thing.

I have been learning to live with it better and I’m starting to do more things socially then I was able to before but I still experience mutism in unfamiliar social situations. The fact I’m able to talk to people on here is huge progress for me so thank you to my mutuals :)

#selective mutism #selective mutism awareness #mental health awareness #awareness #tw anxeity #neurodivergent #neurotypical #💙💙💙

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sea-angel-blu · 2 years

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I just found out that October is Selective Mutism Awareness month! I wish all of you that have the condition or have similar problems with verbal communication a very nice day, and hope you have friends that understand how hard it is sometimes to speak and support you all the way. :3 I either have selective mutism or have symptoms that line up very close to it. I tend to shutdown and not be able to force any words out in social situations when I’m anxious. I try really hard and focus on spitting something out, but it doesn’t work out. It’s exhausting and scary, because people expect you to be able to do something seemingly so simple but my social anxiety makes it near impossible sometimes. Thankfully I have some nice friends who understand my limits and aren’t afraid to have my back, and I hope someone out there isn’t afraid to have your back either. Also if you notice someone struggling and they don’t have a pal to stand up for them, don’t be afraid to be a pal for them and help them out! Have a great October! :D

#selective mutism #selectively mute #mental health #selective mutism awareness #selective mutism awareness month #social anxiety

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delphic127 · 1 year

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do you know what it feels like?

content warning: mentions of alc, alcoholism, vomit, adult themes in general.

Remember you control the media you consume, please don’t read this if you think this may be triggering, take care of your mental health first.

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Do you know what it feels like?

To know that all the things you’ve done are because someone else failed you?

I was a daisy born into a bed of roses, I was an anomaly

So they painted me red and told me to live my life more romantically, to be more like them

They pricked me with their thorns and told me that if I wanted it to stop, I would need to grow my own.

Do you know what that feels like?

To know that there were people who ignored your cries?

I grew up sober in a world full of alcoholics

Everyone was drunk, everyone was loud and vibrant

I could not drink, you see, the smell of booze made my stomach turn and my heart race

But they gave me the bottle and told me down it, so I took what I could and ran to the bathroom

And one day when they realized that I threw up when I was given beer, they told me that they forced it on me because they didn’t know.

Because I threw up in the bathroom. Because I threw up alone.

Because I didn’t know how to tell them something I didn’t understand.

Do you know what that feels like?

To finally find out who you are, too late?

I grew up in my own silent world, so one day when they put headphones on me, the noise made me jump

It was too much, but not enough

I have listened to every song and it is not enough, I know every lyric by heart and still when I listen to them I cry.

Because I thought the songs would be happier.

But the years I spent in soundless world had already tainted me, and I took off the headphones because hearing it all was too much.

Do you know what that feels like?

To only be able to scream with words?

I learned how to talk later than my peers, and I was punished for it.

People thought I didn’t speak because I didn’t have anything worth saying.

So now when I try to talk, they cover their ears.

I was unnatural because no one caught on.

No one caught on.

No one gave me the help that would have saved my life.

I am too old to undo the life that I have lived.

I am too far gone to not let regret consume me.

So when they tell me that

They painted me red and pricked me so that I would fit in, so that I would be a normal rose.

They forced me to drink, because it was their way of life, and because they never knew that I would vomit into a porcelain sink every single night.

They gave me the headphones because they wanted to give me sound, and that it is only overwhelming because I take them off too often. That I need to keep them on, until I forget the noiseless world I came from.

When they tell me that, do you know what that feels like?

Because I have been screaming the entire time, I have been crying out for help and the ones who were meant to help, who were meant to catch on

They didn’t.

And I have to atone for their sins, because every time it was me who is different.

Me who they just wanted to help

Me who is beyond repair

Me who has never learned how to speak, because they never taught me how.

I am a daisy who grew up in a silent world and who pukes when they drink.

I am strange.

And sometimes I am silent.

But when I speak I deserve to be listened to.

#original poem #original writing #original content #original poetry #female writers #nonbinary writer #selective mutism #sm #selective mutism awareness #my poetry #poem #do you know what it feels like?

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thedisablednaturalist · 3 months

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Sometimes terms mean certain things and belong to certain groups of people and are not meant to apply to people outside that group. And that is on purpose and valid. You can make your own terms to describe your own experiences, you don't get to take terms from other people, especially people more vulnerable/less privileged than you. If multiple people tell you that the term is not for you, respect that.

When terms get used for many different situations they get diluted and trivialized. Remember "trigger"? It was a specific medical term and is now used to mean "something that pissed or upset someone". Brain fog is now turning into abled people just being a little sleepy or out of it, not literally a clinical term for brains not functioning correctly due to various illnesses. I tell someone I have brain fog and they say lol me too XD no you fucking don't. "Spirit animal" was taken from indigenous peoples so white people could make funny haha relatable t-shirts. Two spirit almost got taken by queer white people as well (although I think most people have backed off on that hopefully).

Not everything needs to apply to as many people as possible. You don't need to and can't relate to everyone. We can still support each other while respecting differences.

(Edited ver)

#wrenfea.exe #this is about people using nonverbal for selective mutism btw #and about mentally ill abled people using cripple #like if ambulatory wheelchair users can come up with our own term then you can too #idk if its not as concise or it takes effort to get it to catch on #you dont get to steal the work other people have done to spread awareness of their term and its meaning #disability #nonverbal #selective mutism #spoonie #chronic disability #chronic pain #chronic illness #cripple #cripple punk #autism #adhd #readying my inbox for a wave of the stupidest people who've never seen any of my posts to flood the gates #i saw someone throwing ambulatory wheelchair users under the bus to justify why they should be able #to use the term nonverbal #pls correct me if you are from the relevant communities #i updated this to make it more accurate bc funnily enough brain fog made me forget about chronic illness triggers

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selectivechaos · 1 year

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normalise speaking with whispers

normalise speaking with whiteboards

normalise speaking with text

normalise speaking with text-to-speech

normalise speaking with nod/shake/shrug

normalise speaking with ultra-nod

normalise speaking with notes

normalise speaking through others

normalise speaking with facial expressions

normalise speaking with art

normalise speaking with gestures

normalise speaking with body language

normalise speaking with scripts

normalise speaking with pre-written messages

normalise speaking with squeaks

normalise speaking with mmhhhmmms

normalise speaking through eye contact

normalise not speaking or communicating

normalise being a frozen block of anxiety

because all of that is me

and i’d like to be normal, please. 🌹🌹

#situational mutism #selectively mute #actually mentally ill #mentalheathawareness #mental health awareness #selective mutism #non-vocal communication #pls do not tag no.nverbal.

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soyalexnajera · 1 year

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#polls #i wanted to do one as well idk #alex.txt #if you have/had selective mutism i love you sm #wish there was more awareness for it

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pxppet · 2 months

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Mutism/Nonspeaking Awareness Flag

I, like many others, suffer from mutism due to a physical disability. Every flag I've seen for the nonspeaking and nonverbal community is based in autism and related issues, without representation for those of us who are nonspeaking for reasons such as being a cancer survivor, schizophrenia, muscle tension dysphonia, spasmodic dysphonia, aphrasia, brain damage, etc. and related conditions. There are a large variety of conditions that I rarely see representation for, and this flag is for us.

The white stripes represents hope for a more accepting future for nonspeaking and mute people.

The purple stripes represents entirely nonspeaking people.

The blue stripes represents AAC and sign language users.

The green stripes represents people with fluctuating levels of verbality.

The yellow stripe represents community and the way we have each other's backs in this struggle.

The symbol is a vague representation of the lack of a voice. I couldn't decide which one looked better so feel free to use either.

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zimulacrum · 10 months

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I’m someone with selective mutism, and I’ve always struggled to communicate my needs. It didn’t strike me with lightning until TODAY that I could create my own communication cards! Of course, anyone else can use them at their own free will, fully accessible and free of charge. And don’t worry, I’m going to be making more!

#monster high #frankie stein #draculaura #clawdeen wolf #communication #communication cards #com cards #actually autism #actually autistic #disability #disability awareness #disability pride month #selective mutism #situational mutism #mutism #assistance

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naturecomics · 1 year

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I was inspired by @the-nobody-tournament's contestant 43 to write a post about selective mutism (SM). This post will include information that I have gathered through research as well as my own experiences. I will include links to some resources at the end.

SM is an anxiety disorder categorized by an inability to speak under certain (or select) circumstances, usually social settings and often when they are expected to speak. The failure to speak can appear as complete silence or whispering, and the person might use non-verbal or non-vocal methods of communication, such as signing, writing, or gesturing. Some additional symptoms of SM include fleeing from stressful social situations, crying, and physically freezing up.

SM is largely considered to be a childhood disorder, usually developing in early childhood and fading out as the child gets older, though it can develop in older persons or persist into adulthood (my own developed in my late teens). As such, most resources focus on SM in children and diagnostic guides refer to the patient as a child and focus on SM related to school.

There is no singular known cause for SM and it is considered to be multifactorial. Some theories include that it is caused by a heightened freeze response linked to social anxiety or by dissociation linked to traumatic stress.

From an exterior perspective it can appear that the person experiencing SM is choosing to be silent. In fact, it was once called elective mutism because psychologists believed that the children were choosing to be silent as a way to punish their parents. Of course, this is completely wrong - in fact, the person experiencing SM often wants to speak but is literally unable to.

When dealing with someone with SM, you should avoid putting them in highly stressful situations and be aware that their failure to speak is involuntary. The last thing you want to do is get mad at them for having SM because that can exacerbate their symptoms and lead to a total shutdown of communication.

Here are some resources on selective mutism:

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association

What is Selective Mutism by the Selective Mutism Center

Complete Guide to Selective Mutism by the Child Mind Institute (you can listen to this article)

NHS

This is not an exhaustive explanation of selective mutism and I highly suggest that you do your own research into it.

#selective mutism #mental health #mental health awareness #contestant 43 #nobody tournament 2023

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artsy-dreamer · 2 years

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🦋 A cause that’s very important to me 💙

Can you believe it’s already been a whole year since the Komi Can’t Communicate anime first premiered? I’ll never be over the fact that an anime about a canonically SM character premiered during SM Awareness Month- could that be more perfectly fitting??

Komi is so important to me- her struggles are portrayed so well (and I relate to her so much it’s painful) and I’m so glad a character like her exists 😊 Hope you all have a great October!

#komisan #komi can't communicate #shouko komi #selective mutism #sm awareness month #and I still haven’t watched the anime whoops XD #but I have read the first volume so 👍 wanna read more eventually #seriously though… good representation!! funny and heartwarming!#lots of friendship!! good content all around 💕💕#all right that’s enough of my nonsense for now XD see you guys later #I’d like to draw some sm awareness art again… will see if I can do that

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mitch4tune · 7 months

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Reading at least one chapter of Komi Can't Communicate per day for Selective Mutism Awareness Month! I'm currently at Volume 13 Chapter 186 at the time of posting this! My Anilist is Mitch4tsun if you want to be friends!

2023/10/31 Edit: I'm now on Volume 20 Chapter 161 at the end of my one-month activity.

#komi can't communicate #komi san wa komyushou desu #komi shouko #selective mutism #selective mutism awareness #selective mutism awareness month #manga #anilist

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sub-at-omicsteminist · 2 years

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💙More on selective mutism💙

#selective mutism #selective mutism awareness #tw suicide #tw depression #tw anxeity

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finnslay · 8 months

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Olay but I have a high reason highschool is ass

Like not just the lots of people in noise

The selective mutism

If someone else asks me my name I might start crying

And it's not like i can explain it. I can't talk. Apparently my teachers weren't told that.

I didn't have it when I was little. I could talk some. I mean, I could, when my brain got anxious and felt like I couldn't talk, 9/10 times I could make myself have short responses. So nobody noticed. The times I couldn't talk they just thought I was just upset. Or they said I wad just the quiet kid

Until middleschool. I couldn't talk when I was overwhelmed

Higschool I can't talk at all. And I think the gym teacher thinks I'm deaf. He saw me signing and wrote out his apology to me.

I also am like 99% sure I have autism. I have a shit ton of symptoms. Plus my sister is diagnosed with it. And I've done the research.

I'm just good at mimicking people so it looked like I was just weird. Because I had already messed up the family enough, so I just masked.

But fuck why did nobody explain this???

Nobody thought to tell the teachers???

What do I do???

#what the fuck #fuck high school #high functioning autism #self diagnosed autism #self diagnosis #selective mutism #semi verbal #ranting #autistic spectrum #autism #actually neurodivergent #autism things #actually autism #autism awareness #autism community #autism spectrum #actually neurodiverse #can i have some advice #please help me

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the-mushroom-faerie · 5 months

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explaining my selective situational mutism

disclaimer - I'm not a professional, this is not how everyone's mutism works, this is just to explain my own experiences

for me, there are layers and also exceptions. there are people I can talk to most of the time, there are people I can't talk to even when I'm calm. it mostly breaks down into five categories

1. trust. if I trust you, I can talk to you most times. in a full shutdown, i can't talk to anybody no matter how hard I try unless the consequences of not talking are scarier than whatever I'm upset about (i.e. I'm the only one who caught the nurse about to give me something I'm allergic to on accident). if I don't trust you, my level of calm has nothing to do with me not talking to you.

2. energy levels. it is extremely exhausting to talk, especially to talk loud enough to be heard by most. that's why I don't like repeating myself - it's not that I have anything against you for not hearing/processing what I just said, it's that I feel like I just sprinted 30 paces because I said two sentences. so if you need me to repeat, I'll either type it up in a text to you or it's just not important enough to waste any more energy you don't need to worry about what I just said who cares lol

3. people not listening/putting words in my mouth. back up to the energy thing, it really bothers me when people don't listen to me or twist what I say because I just spent a lot of precious energy saying something and you took that and turned it into something that was the opposite of what I said so I DO have to repeat myself, louder and with a defensive tone, because I don't want to be known to have said that. if there's someone I know won't listen I don't bother talking

4. medical. I have a lot of "white coat anxiety" which means I can't talk to a lot of doctors. I try, and I can't like there's a wall there. it sucks especially since I go to a lot of doctors who kinda need me to tell them what's wrong with me

5. speed of my thoughts. a lot of the time, my thoughts are going much faster than my mouth can track, which leads to a lot of stuttering and flipped words and even saying the wrong word and sometimes I have to just take a minute to breathe and catch up. its honestly embarrassing because I've internalized it to make myself feel like when that happens I don't seem as intelligent as I am. which likely isn't true but that tied with another speech impediment that makes a lot of "bigger words" difficult to pronounce makes it pretty easy to believe

that's all I can think of for right now, but it's hardly all of it

#selective mutism #situational mutism #mutism awareness #speech impediment #not my usual post but i felt the need to share

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