nphc and anxiety
 

i'm thinking about rushing for a black sorority, and have been for like a year but i have social anxiety disorder and the idea of a probate show scares the crap out of me and has kept me away. do you think greeks would be sensitive to this, or would i just get written off for being scared and not outgoing enough??? i realllly want to rush, but also a lot of the time i seriously just can't physically take being the focus of a group and i cant imagine theres any way to get out of doing a probate show because its such a tradition

well if thats the case...the D9 aint for you...

It depends.

Are you seeing a doctor or counselor of some sort? I know that social anxiety disorder isn't about just being scared -- I suffer from panic attacks myself in certain situations. But I think the bigger issue is if you are receiving treatment. Sometimes these things can be helped with medication, but the meds will be useless if you haven't dealt with the psychological aspects. Sometimes the fear of the panic attack is greater than the fear of performing in public.

Anyway, even if you are cured of your S.A.D., that's still no guarantee that you will make line.

Good luck in your endeavors, and I feel where you're coming from.

yeah i'm getting counselling and on medication. my case is heavily biological though, so its tough to treat, that's why i'm freaking out.
i'm hoping i can make a lot of progress with it over the summer though so in hopes to rush next semester.
and thanks for the reply.

Have you ever thought about going grad chapter instead of undergrad? Sorry for what you are going through. Best of luck to you.

I am going to reply as if this is a legit post (don't know why, but I am skeptical.)

Your first concern should be getting accepted into your org of choice. (BTW, many of us no longer of "probate" shows.)

A lot of SAD is biological as is clinical depression and other such illnesses (inheredited brain chemistry). Your doc may need to sunscribe different meds until you find the right one.

But you also need to know that a "probate" show will not be the only social gathering in which you will participate as a member of a BGLO. There will be national conventions and regional conferences involving thousands of people. Not to mention community service projects, chapter meetings, public fundraisers, etc. (Okay this is why I am skeptical--the OP only focused on the "probate" show.)

Well, I'm in an npc sorority, but I have a few things to say on this subject. In my experience of choosing a sister to join there are many requirements and characteristics we look for and although an outgoing personality is one of them it's not a deal breaker by any means. This past year actually there have been a few girls that joined who where very shy and the sorority has actually helped them with that. So, you should be upfront about your condition but say you're hoping the sorority will help you overcome and help you with it to show you are willing to try and change. That being said though, if that is the only reason you are not asked to join then this sorority isn't for you. A true sister would be understanding of those kinds of things and even though they should take you out of our comfort zone slightly to help you grow as a person, they should not mentally harm you by forcing you to do something you physically can not do.

NPC and NPHC recruit in different ways and look for different things in people.

Quietriot (isn't that a hardrock band from the 1980's), if you have a mental illness, then you need to make sure you are completely healthy and have your professional healthcare provider check out your physical health.

For any Sorority in the NPHC your primary objective is college, GPA and units. If you don't have that, then you cannot think about anything regarding public display of loyalty to any D9 sorority whose extended an invitation to you to rush and/or join.

Your second consideration should be about taking care yourself.

I understand that. Even within NPC every organization has different requirements and every chapter has something else that is important to them and everyone has different personalities which dictate what type of girl they ask to join. I still stand by what I say, if any organization isn't going to accept someone with a mental illness that has been diagnosed by a doctor and would accept you if it hadn't been for that (ie. you have the grades and personality and you fit in really well with the group) than they are not the group for you.

The reason I said upfront that I was NPC was to say that I don't know about NPHC but I still feel what I said should be universal to all organizations that call themselves a sisterhood.

OMG I love when NPC buses drive the wrong way down NPHC boulevard. Mostly because they can't turn around afterwards.

Look, you don't know about NPHC organizations so how can you have an opinion? If you can't speak before a group of people, then an NPHC organization isn't for you. As ladygreek said, there are conventions of TENS of THOUSANDS of people. If you can't deal, that's fine, but that means that the culture of the organizations are not for you.

This is not just probate shows..... this is the regular social and service nature of our organizations. We have the right to discriminate based on whether or not a girl or guy will be productive in our culture.

And I know deaf and blind and paraplegic (sp?) frat brothers who contribute to my fraternity -- but if they had a social disorder, they would need to handle that BEFORE they step to me.


And you know, I'll be the first to chime in on an NPC discussion if something doesn't sound right or if I want to genuinely know more information. But rarely, if ever, would I call somebody a damn "tool bag" if I disagreed with something. That's incredibly arrogant and immature.

You have a lot to say on most subjects.

Senusret, as jessicaelaine explained here, a tool bag is a combination of a tool and douche bag, apparently it's worse than being just a tool.

jessicaelaine, kindly start thinking before you post. You can't seem to post in a thread without it turning into a massive trainwreck.

Wordy mcword word. Calling anyone names just because you don't agree with vague general policy is just ridiculous.

I know someone who has epilepsy, and is a D9 member... she succeeded(sp) where MANY thought she would fail... so good luck to you on your journey!