From Thug to Advocate Growing up in inner city Washington D.C. hearing gun shots was an everyday thing. In the early ‘90s D.C. was like a war zone and violence was something that I had grown accustomed to throughout my childhood. My changing point came when I was 14 years old in 1996. My brother [...]
Terminal Illness –The Paradoxical Motivator There is a bikini bottom on my kitchen table! As ridiculous as this may sound, the memento from my daughters’ summer laundry is symbolically larger than life and I’m sure the visual is pretty amusing too. Amid the other remnants of our newly unkempt existence, I try with all of [...]
“I'm calling on @Target to remove the #OCD sweater! Please RT if you stand for #mentalhealth @IOCDF” That’s the tweet that blew up my phone yesterday and had me responding to haters and praises for the remainder of the day. Who knew everyone could get so worked up about a sweater, right? A lot of [...]
Not Just Soldiers I've said this before and I'll keep saying it you don't have to be a soldier to develop PTSD there's a long list of things that can cause PTSD combat is just one of them we also have witnessing death or injury, sexual assault, accidents like car crash, natural disasters, child sexual [...]
I am what my therapist and doctor call “high-functioning.” I have major depression and anxiety disorder, but like many with this illness, you would not be able to tell by looking at me. I am able to get groceries, read books I like, and participate in life, MOST of the time. One of the rotten [...]
I feel compelled to share my story for two reasons. One, because I am tired of being quiet; I have been suffering in silence for a very long time and I want to be heard. And two, in hopes that it will help somebody, because I believe a lot of people find themselves in similar [...]
Learning to be present I have lived my life by to-do lists ever since I was a child. Throughout high school, college, my career, and my home life I have meticulously planned out each activity and relish the moment when I can check something off the list and move on to the next. A dwindling [...]
Overwhelming Emotions I don’t know whether I’ve really talked about my connections with Stigma Fighters before, but they’re important (to me, at least) and related to recent happenings. In early January 2015 I was offered the position of Executive Assistant, and I accepted. Then in early September 2015 I received an email from Allie asking [...]
I’m a runner, when things get too much and I can’t face my world, I run. When I was small shy and anxious were the words people used to describe me. I lived inside my head, reading, writing and drawing. Getting lost in another world meant I didn’t need to face my own. I still [...]
SOMETIMES YOU EAT THE BEAR, AND WELL, SOMETIMES HE EATS YOU BY LARRY WEINER It was over six years ago that I found myself in a psych ward, my long struggle with depression having come to a head. This wouldn’t be the last time, but there was always the desire to get better and that [...]
