Due to my multiple chronic illnesses, I recently had to have a mediport placed. For those of you who aren't sure what that is, it's an access placed in your chest that goes directly to your heart to allow the patient to not have to have their veins get damaged from frequent treatments or blood [...]
I had few "constants" in my early life. We moved often and had no financial stability. Mental and emotional abuse by my stepfather made each day hard to predict. Physical and sexual abuse by my stepbrother, however, was consistent. Because we moved so often, and I had to say goodbye to so many, I learned [...]
Multitude of Sins What kind of monster screams at her children like that? Red-faced, chest heaving, spitting as I snarl. Hell would be seeing myself through their eyes. I’m teaching them to be like me, even though I desperately want them to be different. How are they supposed to be different when I am their [...]
Trigger warning - sexual abuse We were all girls once The men who assaulted me had assaulted other girls before me. They assaulted other girls after me. We’re part of the same rusted chain, those girls and I, the chain that tethers us together the same chain that tethers us to the gate on the [...]
Anxiety Bees In my head there lives a little bee with anxiety. Sometimes he nicely walks around wiping down counters but most of the time he is buzzing and fussing and fighting and making a big old mess. I’m not sure when he moved in. I didn’t exactly invite him or any of his friends [...]
Stigma Fighters - Michelle Joni CATHARSIS AND UNICORNS “The Queen of Play is Depressed!” This was my first subject line to the doctor who would soon become my first adult [...]
Life After Depersonalization Disorder It seems that as I’ve gotten older, I actually know less. What I do know however, is that generally I’ve been lucky to be pretty happy, from childhood to now, despite some definitive bumps in the road. Lately, I have been coming to terms with the fact that my upbringing wasn’t [...]
THE ANGUISH OF MENTAL ILLNESS by Olivya Faith, PhD It is important to finish what a person starts. This factoid of advice is the guiding principle of my deeds in this life. It is a sentence I spoke once to my son, when he finished his bachelor’s degree. It took quitting his university to marry [...]
I tend to lose a lot, and in more capacities, than you might think. For example, I have lost more swim races than I can count. I lose gloves, and as a result, the feeling in my fingertips as I venture out to replace them. I have misplaced every game of Monopoly I have ever [...]
I wanted to die. I no longer wanted to go on living. It all became to much. From the failed relationships, to constantly partying with a shady crew who did shady things. I was sucked into a lifestyle of self destruction in an effort to numb the pain I was feeling inside. I'll never forget [...]
