The first time I “died”, I was 25. I was walking through a mall with my friends and suddenly felt the weight of the universe crash into me. I was on a roller coaster hurtling down its initial drop. I was a grain of sand being crushed by the incoming tide. Then, I was nothing. [...]
I still get flashbacks. The insecure teen With a broken heart And a hospital bracelet. Lending a clean shirt. It had been washed and folded By his broken-hearted mother. The stacks of coloring sheets In the corner of a barren room, Our makeshift “Museum” of who Had once been enclosed in these same walls. The [...]
Within a moment… it’s gone. The fully-formed sentences in prose form, as well as the captured ideas, vanish from my mind. A perfect essay that would have unfolded if it weren’t for my scattered mind. As I cracked my laptop open, all that remained was a faint memory. Ever heard of the cliché, “the memory [...]
Getting sober has been one of the most difficult things I’ve ever done in my life. Sometimes I have a chip on my shoulder when talking about it though. I’m only 22 years old, so I’m considered very young for someone getting sober. I’ve been the youngest person in numerous treatment centers I’ve gone through [...]
When my great aunt passed away, I had a chance to look through her things and choose something that I wanted to keep. She never signed her will and while we did donate everything we could, we wanted to keep a few things to remind us of her. While looking through her closet, an olive-green [...]
"In a heavily patriarchal society, could madness be an indirect means of escape – in a way, liberation for women?" - An exploration of how mental illness in women was portrayed by Charlotte Perkins-Gilman in ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ and Sylvia Plath’s ‘The Bell Jar’. Trigger Warning: Mentions of mental illness, self-harm & suicide. Madness has [...]
They say that you should talk about it They say you should not hide it And yet every little bit That I admit I am met with the same bland sympathy That causes such an illness to seem so unique To make every thought seem so bleak And forms every tear upon my cheek I [...]
Eating disorder sufferers receive a lot of blame for their condition. People see the behavior, but they don't see the illness. That's because it's a mental health condition; while you may see what's happening on the outside, you can't see the actual sickness. You can't see what's going on inside, and because of this, mental [...]
Looks from people passing by Their looks of pity asking why As though they think I have the answer But I am simply this puppet’s dancer. Embarrassed beyond all means, I just want to be like other teens. Praying that they won’t see, What is truly wrong with me. Metal chains wrapped around my wrists [...]
*CW: Mention of eating disorder behaviors “One last thing: I congratulate you on your journey of recovery.” Recover: Verb, to return to a normal state of health, mind, or strength. Was I...normal again? I look at my computer screen, the pale glow the only source of light in my apartment. My legs are curled underneath [...]
