Stories of Hope: An Interview with Alexandra Nicklas
This is part of a series featuring individuals who share their life experiences with mental health issues. Recently, I asked advocate Alexandra Nicklas about her journey and her recent activities. Here’s our interview:
DS:Tell us about when you first started becoming aware of concerns related to your mental health. How did these issues continue to affect you before you sought treatment?
AN: I was born with a left hemisphere brain infarction or stroke that occurred in utero. My injury left me with physical, speech, learning and other medical complications. I was “different” then others – physically, academically and medically. This affected my ability to do physical activities, be successful in school and the potential to have seizures later on in life.
All this affected my social life. Mental health issues arose naturally. Depression also ran in my family. In high school, I had the occasional blues but nothing serious to need treatment. Fast forward to orientation of my freshman year. I had my first seizure, in which 3 more subsequent seizures would occur over the following years. I learned from these seizures the warning signs the onset of a seizure was occuring.
Whenever I began to have these warning signs or think I was having them, I had a panic attack. Panic attacks manifested with racing heartbeat, dizziness, lightheadedness and sweaty palms. The panic attacks also coincided with depression. Depression manifested by fatigue, sadness, loss of interest in daily activities, lack of attention and oversleeping.
I have always looked after my health and seeking treatment as needed. There has never been a time where my mental health issues have significantly affected those around me. When I began to have these mental health issues, my parents noticed the symptoms. It was only my closest friends that I expressed my mental health issues to. But, my friends were never affected by it as I always kept it on the down low with them.
DS: What was the turning point that led you to decide to seek help?
AN: Once I started experiencing symptoms, I sought help. Growing up with a medical condition, I have always had a team of doctors and support in place. I knew to contact my psychiatrist for help.
DS: What has your treatment consisted of, and what have you found that has worked well for you?
AN: Treatment has consisted of medication and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Both treatments have worked well. When I was first diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder, it was both the medication and CBT that I needed.
Once my medication reached its maximum benefit in my body, I then relied on CBT. CBT consisted of understanding my irrational thoughts and changing the thoughts to rational thoughts. I also worked on activity scheduling to increase pleasure as well as calming techniques.
DS: How are things going for you now? What challenges are you still facing? What have you learned that has helped you stay positive and healthy?
AN: Once I began taking medication and doing CBT, my life has changed for the better. I have worked on managing my depression and anxiety which has allowed my mental health issues to subside. Mental health issues never go away so I experience episodes from time to time.
After years of hard work, I know my triggers and the work I do in therapy pays off. Having a positive attitude (as hard as that is at times) and believing in myself keeps me going during the hardest of times.
DS: Please tell us a little about your organization, how it got started and its current activities.
AN: The Different & Able Foundation is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization that is dedicated to empowering individuals and their families affected by physical, learning, speech, emotional and medical differences. We offer free access to an online support network of personal stories, professional wisdom & resources as well as a community for networking.
I started Different & Able as a result of my own issues of being born with a stroke. I have had to overcome my own challenges and was fortunate enough to have access to world class doctors and care. As a result, I am thriving. Many people though don’t have access to the level of care that I received or they have nowhere to find support and resources. Different & Able fills that void.
DS:What would you like to say to encourage others who are still working on their journey of recovery?
AN: Don’t give up! Mental health issues are real and they are brutal to manage. However, there is always light at the end of the tunnel. Mental health clouds don’t last forever so you will get better.
About Alexandra
Alexandra Nicklas founded Different & Able in 2018 to help people with disabilities and medical conditions, so they too could find the support and resources to live happy and “able” lives. Throughout her life, Alexandra has dealt with her own differences, which she overcame with the help of support and the necessary resources. Alexandra earned a B.A. in Speech-Language Pathology from Marymount Manhattan College, and pursued graduate studies in Speech-Language Pathology at CUNY Lehman College. Professionally and personally, Alexandra has been a beneficiary, leader, mentor, writer and volunteer for organizations and programs dedicated to advocacy for people with health conditions. These organizations include: Finding A Cure for Epilepsy and Seizures (FACES), the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and the National Student Speech, Language and Hearing Association (NSSLHA). She also has been a volunteer at the NYU Rusk Rehabilitation and Ambulatory Care Center, as well as the Reach Out and Read program at Bellevue Hospital. You can connect with her via Instagram or the Different & Able website.
Thanks so much to Alexandra for sharing her inspiring story of hope! I’m also grateful to her for recently interviewing me for the Different & Able website. Please check out our video interview here.
Would you like to share your story of hope? I plan to feature more personal accounts like this from time to time on my blog. If you are interested in sharing your story, please notify me via my contact page. Also, please subscribe to my blog and feel free to follow me on X (formerly Twitter) or Instagram, “like” my Facebook page, or connect on LinkedIn. Finally, if you enjoyed this post, please share it with a friend. Thanks!