My Normal

Posted 5hrs ago
by Jess Hubbard

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by Jess Hubbard

I was diagnosed with Tourette syndrome when I was 8 years old. Now, at 17, I am studying Media at college, and for my final end-of-year assessment, our brief was simply "Perspective."

Straight away, I knew what I wanted to do.

Living with Tourette's has shaped so much of my life, but I realised that most people only see the stereotypes. When people hear the word Tourette's, they often think of swearing or dramatic movements. While some people do experience those symptoms, Tourette's is so much more than that.

For my project, I created a short film called My Normal, which follows a day in my life and highlights some of the daily struggles that come with living with Tourette syndrome. I wanted people to see beyond the stereotypes and understand what life is really like.

As part of the project, I also organised an exhibition to showcase my film. I created posters and information leaflets all about Tourette's syndrome to help educate visitors. The timing couldn't have been better, as the exhibition took place during Tourette's Awareness Month, making it the perfect opportunity to start conversations and raise awareness.

One of the most important messages I wanted to share is that Tourette's isn't always obvious. It's not just the tics that people can see. Sometimes it's the small, repetitive tics that go unnoticed by others but cause constant pain, discomfort, exhaustion, and frustration. Many people don't see the physical strain, the embarrassment, sheer exhaustion or the mental effort that goes into trying to manage tics every single day.

Through My Normal, I hope I have helped people gain a better understanding of what Tourette's really is and challenged some of the misconceptions that still exist. Most importantly, I hope it encourages people to look beyond what they think they know and see the person behind the condition.

Because this is my normal

Watch Jess' short film here

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