Surviving The Holidays Many people dread holidays. And not just because of the loneliness they may feel or the reminders of a missing loved one. There’s the other thing that’s supposed to make everyone so happy, but sometimes, well, just doesn’t: family. I mean even people who love their family can dread this. Whether it’s [...]
I'm part of the largest ethnic minority group in the United States. By 2050, Latinos will account for 25% of the U.S. population. These rising numbers keep most politicians scratching their heads on how to handle immigration issues wishing there was an easy way out for them of course. In my opinion, they only help [...]
I’ve always struggled with my identity; who I am and what I stand for. The ebb and flow of anxiety and depression have only exacerbated those feelings with ruminating cycles of self-doubt and delusion. When I was finally diagnosed several years ago I felt as though a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I [...]
Why I fear the good days I can look back on a rather full and varied life. I have had many good times, I have also had many rather unpleasant times. This is typical of pretty much every person on the planet. Physically I am better off than many, I have arrived at my forties [...]
This isn't the story I want to tell, this isn't the story I want to be living. Write about my life they say. Like it's easy to rip open the doors of my mind and explain to every person who will read this how fucking hard it is to wake up. My very good friend [...]
ON REACHING OUT I don’t know how to start this article so I guess I’ll just get straight to the point. Somehow we have been taught that being ‘happy’ –or rather, ‘content’— is the norm for everyday life. This has gotten to the point that the question “how are you?” has become more a matter [...]
Inside My Head – Part 1 This is the one I don’t talk about. I had always thought that invisibility would be the best super power. That was until I was afflicted with an invisible injury, and another one, and then another one. With so many unseen illnesses and afflictions out there, odds are good [...]
The Ghost of Christmas Past It was a Thursday afternoon, December 17, 1964, when Mom died of a ruptured brain aneurysm. She was only 34. I was 14 and my little brother Jerry’s 7th birthday was the day we saw our Mom laying in her casket at the funeral home. She was wearing a pretty [...]
Stigmatize Me: People Living with Mental Illness Would you purposefully block someone else’s recovery? Would you put someone down for something they have no control over? People with mental illness face prejudice and discrimination in society everyday due to a lack of education about the issue. Mental health and illness education will help decrease mental [...]
You Always Deserve It *Trigger warning* - for examples of untreated eating disorder and depression symptoms and behaviors 8:00 AM - your alarm goes off. It’s a below-freezing January morning. Even though you got well over eight hours of sleep last night, you don’t have class for another few hours and all you want to [...]
