Realistic and Positive: My Recent Life Journey What if I told you that no matter how bad your mental illness is, you can still be successful? Would you believe me? If you believe in something I like to call “realistic positivism,” you can do anything you set your mind to do. First though, you have [...]
What comes to mind when you hear the word "bully?" I always thought it was mainly a physical attack, so I never felt I was bullied; but I was. I was only 11. I wasn't a "big" girl, I was maybe 110, but to some of the kids in school I was "big Jennifer". I [...]
Just Another Day: A Look At Life Inside By: Aleccia Lin Shaffer Everything can be summarized with a proper song. Everything. In my living room this morning, earbuds in, dancing like it was the 80's (and no one was looking) to my "Chill Out" song, I realized exactly what I wanted to tell my fellow [...]
Perfect We were the family with the white picket fence around our house and the smell of baking permanently wafting from the kitchen. In our drive way were three newish cars always polished even though there only two of us to drive them. Our house had more bedrooms than we needed, our wardrobes more clothes [...]
I remember growing up feeling like I wasn't like most people. I used to cry about it, over every little thing. I have always felt it was a huge release for me when I was unable to say my thoughts or express my wishes... a stall tactic if you will. Fortunately, I grew up with understanding [...]
I read these stories about suffering and pain and my heart goes out to the authors for the struggles they have had. But I also am impressed by the courage each and every one has shown to make their story public. I want to say thank you to them for reaching out and touching others [...]
Imagine my surprise when one nice afternoon after I had gotten home from my job as a teacher, a job I might add that I have held for over 30 years,, I heard a knock on my door and looked out to see a policeman on my porch. Of course all kinds of thoughts flooded [...]
My Journey Though I struggled with depression for much of my adolescence, my mental illness journey began not with me, but with my sister. She was battling bipolar disorder when the only things that I was concerned about were Pop Warner football and video games. In the span of two years during high school, she [...]
I Wonder By Chris O’Brien Sometimes I wonder if I'm even really here. I'll save you my college-freshman exploration of existentialism and skip ahead to what I'm really writing about. Concussions and Post Concussion Syndrome. I haven't felt truly awake since I was 15. I don't actually remember what being alive felt like before then. [...]
Often viewed as one of the most tell tale signs of a true "junkie", there is no doubt about the stigma that comes with track marks. It has been three great years since the last time a needle punctured my skin in a desperate search for a functioning vein. Some scars still remain, lightly tracing [...]
